The Doctor and His Time Ladies
by BraveLittleConservative
Summary: AU Journey's End. Rose gets trapped in the TARDIS instead of Donna and now holds the mind of a Time Lord protected by the Bad Wolf, but what happens when the human Doctor dies? The Doctor moves on with Rose trying to keep a promise to his human self. Ten/Rose and Jenny/Jack
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Her heart was pounding in her ears, while she followed them out of the TARDIS. It was loud, merging with another rhythm close by, but it was so faint that she couldn't place where it was coming from. Despite this, it was prevalent, growing in strength and overpowering the Doctor's worried inquiries from the other side of the TARDIS.

She muttered something that she hopped was a cerebral reply, but she couldn't be sure. Because, by now she could no longer hear her own voice, and her thoughts were closely following suit. The pounding was distinct, like someone striking a drum repeatedly.

The noise was familiar to her, yet it was foreign, like something meant to be, but could never happen. Thoughts of longing associated with the sound, but she didn't know where they came from. It was like she was standing in front of a forked road waiting for someone to push her in the right direction. Then it donned on her, no wonder it melded with her heart's beating so well, because the sound was one. It was strong, and steady, but she could tell it was also fearful by the ever increasing speed of the rhythm.

With all of her mental strength she forced herself to focus on what was currently happening around her.

Donna, Jack and the Doctor were already standing outside the TARDIS. The latter glanced in her direction, said nothing, but the look in his face said that he wanted her with him. There was a slight twitch in his fingers, as if they had gained a mind of their own and instinctively searched and longed for Rose's touch. He was facing those who hated him the most. She loved him the most, which made her the most important person in his collapsing world now. She would have grinned at his desperation on any other day, but she couldn't. This was too real.

She took a few more steps towards the doors, but some invisible force caught her and held her in place. It was as if the universe itself was holding her back. The world ends if Rose Tyler tries to reach her Doctor.

Before Rose could react, the universe made its final move at keeping her in place, the Blue doors, that she had taken so many first steps through, closed with a hard slam. The force blew her backwards and onto the grating with a crash. She expected pain, but she felt none. The only thing on her mind was the sudden sinking feeling deep in her gut, and the insistent heart beat that had managed to once again assert itself.

The Doctor's pounding on the TARDIS door, shook the ancient machine, and Rose tried not to think of what he must look like right now. She didn't want to see his desperation, his terror, his agony…his rage. She wanted to remember him like he was right when he sprung to his feet from his partial regeneration. His wild hair, the jokes that only he could get away with and that smile, would fill her thoughts until she met her death, especially if it was coming soon. With this new drive and in spite of everything she smiled, only to be wiped away by his screams.

His voice permeated through the door, the agony of losing her was clear in his tone, but Rose forced herself to sound calmer than he did. Carefully, she searched for the words to say to him, as she placed her hand on the wooden door as if trying to feel the Doctor through the wood.

"Doctor." She had yelled to be heard, but she kept her emotions well reigned in. "It's not your fault, just like before, it's not. I guess I'm always too slow."

The last sentence came off as a harsh laugh, and did nothing to add levity, but she heard the Time Lord attempt a chuckle for her, and that's all she could really ask for. His voice floated through the doors, but the more he spoke the more anger came over him until his words were incomprehensible. Rage bubbled over in him, as he vowed to return for her. He would never abandon or lose her again, never leave and never stray from her side as soon as his hand was safely threaded through her fingers again. He didn't care what it took he was getting her out. His pounding on the door was unrelenting, and she could hear Donna and Jack's shouting on the other side other side of the doors as well.

"Don't be like that, Doctor," Rose said, wiping a hand over her eyes and brushing tears away. A grateful thought passed over her mind, the love of her life would not see her tears again. He would not see her weakness. "Remember what Sarah Jane said, 'everything has its time,' nothing lasts forever, but the run we had was the best. I wouldn't trade it for all the universes."

Rose bit her lip and slid down the doors, as the Doctor's screams became inhuman and the distinct feeling of falling swept over the ship.

~/~

The Doctor threw himself towards the TARDIS and tried to follow her and Rose into the core of the ship. He would have fallen in, if Jack had not caught him and held him firmly until the Daleks closed the trapdoor. When the floor was solid again, Jack released the Time Lord and watched as he fell to his knees on the location where the TARDIS had stood just seconds previously.

His brain barely registered that Donna had taken a grip of his shoulders and was gently guiding him up so he stood in front of the Supreme Dalek. Donna felt the Time Lord's fury trembling within him; the instability was obvious as he shook his head back and forth.

"You killed her," the Doctor murmured. "Both of them, you killed both of them."

"This is not a deed of the Daleks," the Supreme Dalek rang out, in a tone that could have been mocking if he had any true emotions at all. "Time Lords are known for their treachery."

The Doctor was about to bite out a reply, but Donna stepped up in front of him. "Now listen here," Donna's caustic words were dangerously low, portraying none of the fear that swelled inside of her. "Oi, swivel that stick you call an eye in this direction and pay attention."

The Supreme Dalek complied along with several of the others in the room.

"I know you can't feel anything in that thick metal shell of yours, but you must at least have a brain! And, when you find it inside that robotic casing of yours, think back if you can see any man–especially this man–purposefully killing a woman he loved."

The Doctor pulled Donna back beside him and shook his head slowly from side to side. She opened her mouth to protest, but he gave her a gaze that pleaded her to be quiet, and she had no choice but to listen to him just this one time.

"He has," the Supreme Dalek spoke with a voice dripping with confidence and pride. "Is it not fair that he feel the pain that he forced upon millions of being, millions of civilizations? The loss of one pitiful human and a broken machine is hardly equivalent to the suffering he has brought to the universe. The Time Lord should thank the Daleks. We bring out the emotions he craves so much."

Jack couldn't take it anymore, he wasn't going to stand there and listen to this over grown pepper-pot insult the Doctor. Fury ran too deep for him to speak, but he drew his gun and emptied the cylinder with six shots in quick succession. They all collided with their target, but fell to the ground uselessly after connecting.

It wasn't that he expected anything to come of it, but it sure felt good. Jack wore a smirk on his face while he gritted his teeth against the laser gun connecting with his chest. Flashes of memory crashed before his mind, while Donna's cries filled his ears when everything went black.

~/~

Rose was crawling on the floor of the TARDIS, desperate to stay low and prevent breathing in large quantities of the smoke accumulating in the TARDIS. She gently skimmed her fingers across the TARDIS console while the ancient machine reached into her mind with the last bit of her failing strength.

_Hand…touch…save…doctor…_

The plea was obvious and she felt the TARDIS drawing her eyes in the direction of the Doctor's handy spare hand.

Just one touch...

~/~

Donna was holding onto the Doctor, while they continued down to the vault. After watching the TARDIS disappear from his sight, he looked like he was going to be physically ill and Donna had to support him to keep him from teetering to the side. She had known the Doctor was mentally linked to the TARDIS, but she had never known on what scale. That coupled with the loss of his love, Rose, was causing the Doctor's stability to be challenged.

Donna saw glimpses of that pain and the desire of vengeance when he destroyed the Racnoss, but this was so much greater. In the eyes of his greatest enemies, the Doctor's first instinct was to hide his emotions; to bury them, but how could anyone hide a fraction of the pain that he was feeling?"

~/~

Golden wisps flowed around the TARDIS, sprouting from the Doctor's hand. Rose could have sworn she saw it twitch, but she wrote it off as a play of the light. Until she saw what happened next. The energy began to coagulate into the basic form of a person and more and more detailed with each passing second.

The Doctor's image sprang up breathing heavily and staring at Rose who was launching herself onto him and drawing his arms around him. He stammered, but held her closely for a brief second, suddenly happy for just being alive and with her.

Gathering his thoughts of running, Rose's arms, and pain, the Doctor registered that Rose was laughing softly against him, while she clung onto him.

"What?" his voice was high pitched and she brought her mouth to his ear.

"Pants, Doctor," Rose teased, while he tried to cover his dignity from her already averted stare. "But, I think we should get the TARDIS out of here first."

"Right," He grinned getting to his feet. "Allons-y."

~/~

The Doctor, dressed in blue with the new weapon clutched in his hands, ran towards Davros. Nervousness ran through his veins, making his actions slightly jerky, while he tried to force his feet to comply with his brain. He had called it the biggest backfire in history, but in truth he had no idea. His thoughts were more muddled than they ought to be, and he felt so tired.

He'd have to get the other Doctor to look into that, if they made it out of here alive. He quickly sighted in Davros with the gun, but he paused–_hesitated_. And, that was his down fall.

Out of nowhere, the blue-suited Doctor was struck in the chest by Davros' electrically charged artificial hand. He fell to the ground, clutching at his chest and suddenly everything made sense, he was half human–half Rose, ugh, that made her his sister then. Who was he gonna fantasize about now? Oh…wait, did that meant that Jackie Tyler…

The Doctor didn't get to finish his thought, because Rose was taking the gun into her own hands. She didn't hesitate like he had; she immediately figured out the system and shot Davros in the chest. Immediately after she had done so, all the Daleks began to shake and explode. They didn't scream as each of them went quickly. The human Doctor walked over to the controls, and was surprised that Rose was moving him to the side so she could reach other controls.

She realized he was staring at him and she hurried to explain, while she released the Time Lord Doctor, and his friends from the holding cells that Davros had put around them.

"Instantaneous biological meta-crisis, you grew from me, which means more than likely your part human, which you can be happy about–or sad about. I don't really know with you, but it was two-way, so I was also a part of it. I gained knowledge and maintained a human body, you maintained your knowledge, but gained a human body," Rose's words were rushed, but precise and chosen in a way that he couldn't question it.

"Alright, but you, shouldn't be able to sustain the meta-crisis," the Time  
>Lord Doctor said stepping in and helping to send the last planet, the Earth, home.<p>

Rose shook her head. "A little gift from the Bad Wolf."

She poked her tongue cheekily between her teeth, and gathered the Time Lord into a hug. He held onto her tightly and looked at the human Doctor over her shoulder. He gave him a wide grin and moved to sweep him into a hug when Rose had released him to move to her Mum.

"You built the gun?" the Time Lord Doctor asked quietly, awkwardly stepping backwards from hugging…himself.

"Yeah," the human Doctor replied hesitantly, trying to gage the Time Lord's rapidly shifting facial expressions. "We didn't have a choice."

The Time Lord nodded, and then directed his gaze back over to Rose. He saved her when he couldn't; he owned him everything. "Good man."

A wink was sent in the Time Lord Doctor's direction, while the two of them ushered everyone inside the TARDIS.

~/~

Everyone was in their proper home, Sarah with her son, Mickey, Martha and Jack in London, Jackie with her parallel Pete and Tony, and Rose, Donna and both Doctors in the TARDIS. Although, they had dropped Donna off to check on her mother and granddad.

The Doctor was buried within the innards of the TARDIS, making repairs, while the human Doctor who had taken the name, 'John,' was leading her into the TARDIS's garden room. His hand was laced in hers, while she held onto his waist. Their steps were light, while they crossed the green grass and the sound of a rushing stream filled their ears.

"It's beautiful in here," Rose said, swinging her arms around her in a

wide arc, while John grinned at her. His brown eyes studied her with  
>unadulterated amazement. Rose couldn't help noting how this human version of the Doctor was so much more lively and curious. There was a glow in his eyes that was still finding wonder through the universe, where the Time Lord only saw it through the eyes of his companions. It took Rose a moment before she realized he had gotten that from her. "Why didn't you ever bring me in here before?"<p>

John shrugged his shoulders and collapsed against a thick trunked tree, while Rose joined him. "Never really thought about it before." A small smile crept across his lips. "We were always spending so much time running, we never really got time to," he paused to pull a red, thorny flower from seemingly nowhere. "And, smell the roses."

Giggles bubbled up in Rose's stomach and she gingerly took the flower from his finger tips and brought it to her nose for a long smell. It was sweeter than the Rose's at home, with softer petals and a more vibrant shade of red. She guessed the TARDIS must have developed it.

Silently, John and Rose took in the rolling hills covered in flowers dotting the area, with the occasional shade tree. The mood was light until the next words fell from John's mouth.

"It's funny," his words were overflowing with spite, despite his best attempts to conceal it carefully from Rose's ears. "I think this body would enjoy the slow path immensely."

Turning to roll on her stomach, Rose put a gentle hand on John's cheek. "You will."

He smiled and covered her hand with his, gently guiding it down and settling it on his knee. "Rose Tyler, Defender of the Earth."

With those words, John swallowed thickly. His face contorted in pain, while his whole body seemed to tremble with unimaginable pain. His hands went straight to his head, clamping on his temples and trying to make the sensation of flames licking his brain stop. Tears burned behind his eyes and added to the sensation of his whole head about to turn inside out. He forced them shut so tightly that he saw stars.

Rose could tell he was having trouble focusing his thoughts, but she managed to coax him out of his pain to open his eyes and stare into her face. He tried to speak to her, but she covered his lips with her fingers and shook her head.

She tapped the side of her head with two fingers. "I know, remember. No Bad Wolf to protect you then, eh?"

The joke was a pitiful attempt, but John let a lonely laugh leak from between his lips while his eyes caught sight of a Time Lord running towards him. He knelt down and placed a hand on John's shoulder. His touch was trying to be comforting, but the look in his eyes told John everything he needed to know.

"No," John bit out. "Never."

The Doctor shook his head, "It'll save your life. It's for the better."

Ignoring him, John looked at Rose desperately. "Don't let him, please. I… I can't, no memory, that's not a life… that is death. I'll spend every moment living dead." He turned his eyes back towards the Doctor. "You of all people should understand that."

Agreeing, Rose gently brushed her fingers over his knuckles. "Whatever you want; just don't give up yet. Beating the impossible, that's us, the three of us. Me and you, we shouldn't even exist."

"The Doctor in the TARDIS with Rose Tyler," John murmured, while his voice faded. "I don't think that the universe could handle it if the number of Doctors in the universe were multiplied two-fold." Again, John turned his attention back to the Doctor. His voice was dropping off to the point that the Doctor had to lean in to catch his words. "Don't let her go, take care of her, for the both of us."

The Doctor nodded, and looked at Rose, while she tried not to listen to what John had murmured into the Doctor's ear. When the Time Lord turned his eyes back towards his human brother, the man's eyes were closed, his face finally free of pain with what could be considered a smile stretched across his lips.

Rose felt tears beginning to stream down her face, and she found herself throwing herself at John's lifeless body. She couldn't describe the kind of hurt she was feeling. One was like losing the love of her life, a brother, and a son all at the same time, but a bigger part of her was just hurting like her very being had been ripped to shreds. She felt like she had lost a brother–a twin–and in a strange way, maybe she did.

The Doctor caught Rose in his arms and shielded her eyes from the  
>lifeless body that only a few minutes ago was holding the spirit of man who<br>save millions of lives, including theirs.

Behind their backs, the body seemed to vanish into thin air, and its place  
>was a small bed of roses.<p>

_Under the flowers he dreamed dreams of the impossible. Carpets, a yard, doors and windows, even walls that surrounded something smaller on the inside. _


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Strong arms wrapped around Rose Tyler, while she let more tears fall down her already tear-stained face. They burned like rivers of lava down her face, a fire that couldn't be quenched. It wasn't supposed to be like this. At one time, Rose felt sure that the universe couldn't be that cruel, but in her travels on and off the TARDIS she knew that it was always cruel. One success was a failure, and one heart's joy was another's heart break.

"It's not fair," she mumbled into the Doctor's suit, knowing fully of the futility of the words, but still needing them to come out.

Long fingers gently rubbed small circles into her back and did their best to sooth her. The smooth fabric of his suit was inviting, and welcoming her to continue to fall into the embrace. There was no safer place in the universe for her now, but that didn't matter. She wasn't the one who needed protecting. She had the power of the mind of a Time Lord, the strength to hold it by the Bad Wolf, and what did John have? Nothing anymore.

Where was the protection when he needed it? He saved the universe, protected the world and died, not from the battle, but from the stupid universe's own laws. Every now and then there was a miracle granted, a life spared when one of those laws being not broken, but twisted-bent. They could be flexible, Rose understood that more than anyone, so why not now? Why not for the one man who protected and saved the universe more than anyone else.

"I know," the Doctor muttered into her ears. "I know, and I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

An unexpected shake of the head came next. Rose looked at him, spite filled and pain driven. "It's not your fault. It's mine, if I hadn't expelled so much Bad Wolf energy into him when he was formed… if I had known… He'd have had a chance… I ki-"

The Doctor cut her off. "Never think that Rose Tyler, not for one second." A small smirk flitted across his lips, while he locked onto her eyes. "I think you got too much of my brain."

Rose scratched the back of her neck and dropped her fingers when she realized who she was mimicking. She rolled her eyes at herself and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"After everything I've seen, you'd think I'd be softened to it by now. I'm sorry," Rose said, taking a deep breath and biting her lip.

He shook his head and began leading her to her old bedroom. His hand somehow found its way into hers. The touch was almost hesitant, and he couldn't help but fidget slightly on the balls of his feet. Rose gave him a gentle squeeze of reassurance and let the Doctor step inside with her.

"Rose, you want to have this pain," he stopped, as if wondering if he should continue, but judging by the doubt in her face she needed to listen to his words. "It makes you human. It means you can care and love and do all those things that humans can."

"And, Time Lords can't?" Rose whispered the words, guilt washed over her for bringing it up, but she couldn't get the thought out of her mind, especially after what John said.

"Get some sleep," the Doctor said, letting go of Rose's hand and wrapping her into a final hug.

"Good night, Doctor."

"Night, Rose Tyler."

~/~

The light in Rose Tyler's room still permeated into the hallway from under the door crack. Every now and then there was a gentle shuffling of papers in an otherwise silent room. Rose Tyler shifted in the bed and reached for a different stack of small printed pictures. She set her other stack back inside the same drawer, which she had kept filled with the memories of another life, a better life.

It seemed like such a long time since she had been the naïve young teenager who ran away with a man in a blue box. A piece of her had awoken from years of sleep. Not only was this a new stage for her life, but it was a new stage of her life. It was up to her if that stage was going to turn into a time of glory or a time of suffering. She prayed for the former, but with what she had learned today, maybe you couldn't have one without causing the other for someone else.

She pushed the thoughts aside and looked down at the pictures sitting in her lap.

The first image in the stack was of her first Doctor, standing on a frozen sea with only a dark purple jumper on. She could still clearly see him–all short hair and steel blue eyes filled with emotional scars–in her mind's eye without the aid of a photograph. She could almost feel the smooth, worn leather of his battered jacket gently brushing against her wrist the way it did when he twisted their arms into one. It was supple, yet battered, not unlike his hand resting in hers.

On the day the picture was taken, however, it wasn't the outside of the jacket that she was feeling it was the inside. The high and mighty Time Lord had promised temperate weather and ended up on one of the coldest planets in the universe. She had raved about Woman Wept to Mickey, but in truth it was just one big mistake, albeit the best kind of mistake.

He wrapped the jacket around her shivering shoulders and entwined a protective arm around her waist to keep her from slipping on the ice. She had briefly inquired if he was going to become cold, but only gave her a smirk and haughty laugh. His exact words were 'my people never got cold.' Thirty minutes later, one shivering Time Lord was trying to get warm in front of the TARDIS's television watching the Star Wars original trilogy with Rose.

The last thing that Rose remembered was the Doctor gently coaxing a mug of hot chocolate from her hands, wrapping his left arm around her and letting her drift off to sleep. He was sitting there when she opened her eyes, still in the exact position that he had been in when she slipped away into her dreams.

She had long been free of the ache when she thought of that version of the Doctor, the one that was with her now was plenty enough for her to loved. Instead, she thought of him as a friend from school, they were close, but eventually the friend would change and they would drift apart. The Doctor no longer needed someone to heal his heart; he needed someone to hold his hand instead.

The next picture was this Doctor, wild, brown hair and a smile to melt the heart of female population on any planet. He was spinning standing on the captain's chair with his arms out stretched. His mouth was agape while he shouted something wordlessly. His mirth filled eyes were practically glowing. The picture was slightly blurred, because Rose was the one to snap the photo, but couldn't stop giggling at the Doctor's actions. After three trips that ended in being chased back into the TARDIS, the Doctor had proclaimed that his jeopardy friendly companion and himself needed a day off. Quickly, he had engulfed Rose in giggles with his over dramatic acting of plays he proclaimed he wrote, but only made it big in the Scarlet System.

It was days like the one preserved in this imaged that filled Rose's mind with the idea that maybe he was human. Deep down, he was just like her. They were one in the same; their lives wouldn't be torn apart eventually by the universe's cruel fate.

The Doctor had always told her that he didn't do domestic, but then why did John say he wanted to? It wasn't just her thoughts leaching into his, because he said this body. Was the Doctor hiding something deeper? Was he too afraid to share it with her? Was it her place to even ask him?

When she stood on that beach and confessed her feelings towards him, she could almost hear his reply floating on the breeze, but maybe she had just imagined it.

Unfulfilled love, how cliché.

~/~

Converse sneakers attached to pinstripe-clad legs were sticking out from under the console of the TARDIS. The Daleks had really done a number on her. He could tell because she hadn't even attempted to electrocute him for a wandering hand or an eye lingering a bit too long on her circuits.

"I don't know why you do that," the Doctor grumbled to her, trying to coax her out of the mood that she had worked herself into. "We've been together long enough, I know you better than anyone else."

A hum a contradiction met his ears and made him drop his spanner.

"What d'you mean I'm not?" the Doctor said affronted, and glaring up at the thermo-cufflinks. "How long have we spent together?"

The next message was clear. A pink and yellow girl with a smile big enough to outshine the sun and cause both hearts in his chest to melt filled his mind's eye. Her eyes were bright and shining before her image slowly morphed into a wolf howling at the moon. His heart ached as he thought about what might have happened to Rose if luck hadn't been in their favor. She could have burned; he could have lost her forever. He wouldn't have anyone else to…

He wouldn't allow himself to finish the thought, and his ship chastised him with a sharp prod into his consciousness.

"Hey," the Doctor said, annoyed. "That's not funny."

The ship shot sparks at his accusations and told him it wasn't her, it was Rose. The Doctor protested, but suddenly he was aware of the new Time Lord mind that was running through her head. She might be able to hold it with the Bad Wolf, but couldn't be sure on how to handle it.

Gently, he reached out to brush against her mind with him "_Rose._" The word was simple, and soft, as to not alarm her.

"_Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, help me, don't leave, Doctor, don't hurt me, Doctor! No please!_" the words were sharp enough that they caused him to hit his head against the console. Before he could comprehend it, the Doctor was on his feet and running down the hallway. His converse sneakers made a racket on the metal grating of the floor.

"_Not him…not the Doctor… failure… pain… never…_"  
>The whole trip to Rose's room, he couldn't help but running every possible situation that could be happening to her in his mind. What if she there was a teleport breech in the hull, or an alien managed to slip through when the TARDIS's defenses were down? What if they were both wrong and her brain was burning up now too?<p>

He didn't even bother knocking the door, just forced his way through the door, and his breath caught in his chest.

~/~

_Rose Tyler was running–bolting–forcing her feet to move faster and faster, than anyone would have believed. She didn't have a choice in the matter, fear was ripping though her, forcing her feet to pound on relentlessly. Why did she have to get this wrong? Why were there so many universes to land on? And, why didn't any of them feel like home?_

_She was closer than she had been before in this universe, but for once in her life she wished that she wasn't. He was so different from the carefree man that she had fallen in love with. It wasn't that he was broken like he was when they first met. It wasn't pain that was driving him now. It was anger._

_The Time Lords were alive, so alive and so hateful. The Doctor had only one trait similar to this imposter; they were both rebellious. He ran away from the reign of the controlling Time Lords, and tried to start his own, lording it over the Earth. His picture, with abhorrence etched on every corner of his face, was plastered everywhere on posters. It was hard to fathom that he was on this planet to hide away._

_His features were hard like they were carved from stone; the only sign of weakness was a single, long scar running just below his left eye. It was pale, standing out almost white against his battle-hardened skin._

_After asking around Rose found out that the Doctor's head quarters were actually in London–his strange attachment to the city didn't seem to end here. Surely she would figure out what twisted thing was going on in this universe. Surely someone else was behind this. Someone was using his face and his words. He would never do this, her Doctor couldn't._

_The dream seemed to twist in her brain and she moved back in time, until she was facing him again._

_Her first instinct was to run straight into his arms, embrace him and never let go. But, the words that fell from his mouth, without a hint of regret or compassion stopped her dead in her tracks. "Shoot her."_

_The dream propelled her back to where she had started, bolting down the middle of the street, in the dead of night. Tears streamed down her face and blood pouring from her right shoulder. She looked down to see her arm was dangling at an unnatural angle. She couldn't feel her fingers, and her sight was beginning to become hazy around the edges._

_"Rose," the words cut through her subconscious. They were calm gentle, not like the spiteful words of the familiar stranger. She was about to turn around, but she didn't allow herself the hope. She couldn't._

_"Rose," the word came again, so gentle and so sure that the Rose fell to her knees._

_The universe was cruel and it lied, but she couldn't take it. Over and over, she screamed his name and waited for him to answer again, but she didn't. There was only a light pressure on her shoulder and endless warmth._

~/~

Shaking on the bed and gripping tightly to her shoulder, was Rose Tyler. Her mouth was open in a silent scream while she flailed. Her blonde hair was stuck to her forehead and her face was flushed his fear. Her legs were wrapped up in knots around her too-cheerful-sheets from trying to run away from an unknown assailant. Her left arm, which she let flail out struck the dresser and knocked a pile of pictures fluttering to the floor. Without a moment's hesitation he was sitting next to her, gently shaking her shoulder, but when she didn't respond to him, and the Doctor was forced to give her a stronger shove.

Rose cried out and caught the Doctor in his eye with a fist before he was able to hold her down and finally convince her back into reality. He ran his hands up and down her back, while he dragged her up into his arms. He slumped next to her on the side of the bed, with the mattress groaning with their combined weight. He felt her tears slowly wetting through his shirt and leaving wet patches. He rested his chin on her forehead, while he protectively held her against him.

"I'm sorry," Rose whispered against his chest, and continued on to call herself childish, claiming that she should have grown out of this after everything she had done and everything she had seen. The Doctor couldn't help himself from pulling back and gripping her shoulders roughly and meeting her gaze.

"You want that pain Rose, it means you're human. It means that you care," the Doctor implored to her.

Rose nodded, while the Doctor gently cupped his hand underneath her chin and drew her face up to look into his eyes. They were the same as the ones that had struck unimaginable fear into her core that night, the same that shattered her heart. Yet, they were different, instead of hate they were filled with care and concern for her. The deep brown orbs held all of his emotions wrapped in a tiny little package, like a present half open, giving way to a wealth of treasures hidden just beneath the cover.

"Doctor," Rose whispered finally, letting her hand reach up and trail down his face, just below his left eye. She signed while she took her first finger and gently running it over the smooth skin. The only blemishes she found were the familiar freckles that were scattered as randomly as the stars across his skin and the red spot that was beginning to bruise where her knuckles has caught his cheekbone.

He gave her a smile a confirmation. "Always," his voice was equally low, while he covered her hand with his and drew it up to cover his cheek.

Suddenly, as if drawn by an invisible force, Rose wrapped her arms around the Doctor's neck and rested her chin on his shoulders. Fresh tears of relief poured down her cheek and splashed onto the brown fabric of his suit.

"Tell me," he muttered, his voice was almost desperate, gently coaxing him and wiping away her tears with the pads of his thumbs. "Please."

Her head moved from side to side, while their expressions swapped to where Rose's face was full of concern and the Doctor's was pleading.

"I can't do that to you," Rose said seriously. "Never."

"And, I can't let you be hurt," the Doctor retorted, letting the weight of his promises sink in.

Rose hesitated for a brief second, but eventually she scooted closer to the Doctor, rested her head on his shoulder, and began to tell him the whole story. He never interrupted her, just listened silently. Every now and then, as she reached a particularly horrific part of her dimension travelling days, she would feel his hand tighten around hers in comfort.

Part of him didn't want to listen to all the pain that Rose had been through. He wanted to curl up and cover his ears, make the memories leach from his brain forever, and pretend it never happened. Not just for him, but for Rose to forget to. However, a bigger portion of him solely wanted to be there to hold her hand, like he had for all those years before.

When Rose had finally finished, the Doctor was could feel her hand trembling from under his. He squeezed her hand tighter and kissed the top of her head silently. Despite her shaking, he could tell that she was better for telling him what had happened, because she started to laugh slightly.

"I think you were wrong, before, I mean, when we were in that alternate universe, where Dad survived, met Mum, but never had me," Rose said with a genuine tone, and took her other hand brought it over the Doctor's that was already covering her other hand. "You said none of the universes could get it right, but this one did. You know why? This one is home.

It was the only one that I could truly smile in when I reached it. It was where I needed to be. Even the air is different back on Earth, the speed it turns beneath your feet and how much the stars tug at you."

The Doctor grinned. "That's the Bad Wolf, letting you see and feel the world, that's why I came, you were calling me, subconsciously, but still, you need to learn to control yourself a bit better, Rose. Not, saying that you won't be able to talk or call to me again, in fact, you should have an even easier time about it, but you wouldn't want every psychic creature able to read your every thought, would you?"

The words fell out of the Doctor's mouth in rush, while he perked up and went back to his usual hyper ways. It forced Rose out of her melancholy and made her smile along, as he leaped to his feet and took her hand in his leading her out of her room and into the library.

"It's simple really, protecting yourself, most of its subconscious, all it takes is just me going in and triggering that switch inside your brain and making you build walls against your thoughts. Then, when you want to talk to me, you'll just have to concentrate, overcome the subconscious thought and baddaboomba, you'll me a top notch psychic communicator."

"Baddaboomba?" Rose said teasingly, while she bit down and exposed the pink flesh of her tongue.

"It's a word," the Doctor protested, his words rising in pitch from the insult, before his face turned serious. He raised his hands and held them just in front of her face. "Do you trust me?"

Rose didn't speak at first; instead, she drew his hands up to the sides of her face and placing them in the position she knew they should be in.

"More than I trust myself."


	3. Chapter 2

Rose Tyler awoke the next morning with a strangely clear sensation in her head. It wasn't muddled like it had been and was free of the stray thoughts that she had grown up knowing. It felt as though she had regained clarity in her mind without ever really losing it. She relished in the sensation and wondered if it would last the rest of her life. Surely, she wouldn't want to go back to the way she used to think, in spurts instead of a constant stead stream. No wonder the Doctor bounced around all the time, this was invigorating.

Stretching out on her bed, Rose found that the only thing that was truly hazy was her memory of last night. The nightmare was still clear in her mind's eye, as well as the Doctor's comforting grip on her shoulders. The way he rocked her ever so slightly with the constant beating of his hearts was making its way to the front of her memory, but after that she only received bits and pieces. She recalled the Doctor telling her that he was going to make it so she could instinctively erect her own mental barriers, but after that it was all her own assumptions.

Knowing that the easiest way for the Doctor to enter her thoughts would have been when she was unconscious, she figured he had given her mind a simple command to sleep, and she had willingly succumbed.

She gently pushed her personal inquires to the back of her mind with ease, letting her mind drift from the past to the present. There was no point in letting her thoughts linger on what had happened. After all, she had meant what she said when she told the Doctor that she trusted him more than she trusted herself.

Glancing at the glowing letters on her bedside clock, Rose saw that the TARDIS decided to make it 7:05 in the morning. She had missed that about the ship. She could travel anywhere in time and space, but always decided to keep her insides composed and consistent. The decision couldn't be for the Doctor's benefit, for he was always running around and rarely slept. He could be—and probably was—ready for an adventure whenever the air seemed right, or on an arbitrary whim.

Instead, Rose knew the TARDIS did it for her and any of the other companions that came through her doors. It gave the Doctor a clear period of time that he couldn't come barging into her room and sweeping her into the next escapade. It grounded her as well, letting her know that even with the life style she had fallen into, there was still one constant in her life. Everything else could fall apart, but this little, impossible, blue box was always going to be there.

She rubbed her eyes blearily and slid out from under the covers. Before stepping out of the bed, she slid her fingers lovingly over the walls of the ship. A slight tickle moved in the back of her mind and made a smile spread across her face. The sensation of being wrapped in warmth was pumping through her veins and running down to her fingers and toes.

She pulled her dressing gown around herself and walked into the console room to see the Doctor leaning against the TARDIS console. His jacket lay discarded on the floor and his flue oxford shirt was rolled up to the elbows. The sight of his arms made him seem exposed—made him seem human. He grinned at her while she perched on top of the captain's chair and drew her knees up to her chest, still half asleep.

He had to suppress a laugh forming at the base of his throat at the sight of her. Her blonde hair was flying in every direction. Her cheeks had a pick tinge to them from being encased in the heat of her bedroom cover, while her eyelids lowered halfway over her eyes.

"Good morning," the Doctor said, pretending to be oblivious to her drowsiness. "Sleep well?"

"Mmhm," Rose mumbled. She scooted to the side and let the Doctor join her on the seat, while she leaned against him. "'M head feels different, it's clearer."

"Doesn't sound that way," he teased.

"Trust me, if it didn't I'd still be in bed, and dead to the world around me." Rose gave the Doctor a sly grin and gently brushed her fingers against his black eye. She winged slightly, but decided not to say anything when the Time Lord gave her a disarming shrug.

"I felt the same way, when I first learned to erect my own barriers, it's so much quieter. I mean imagine if we couldn't do that. It would be like someone rambling in your ear non-stop, and that would be really annoying, and it would be even worse, because it's not like you could tell them to stop, because you can't stop someone thinking, or at least it would be very difficult I suppose that if you really, really wanted to, you could…"

"Doctor."

The Doctor looked up at her with a raised eyebrow and a mouth still hanging wide open.

"Stop."

"Right, sorry," the Doctor replied, with a sheepish grin. "So, what do you say, breakfast and then we can decide how much trouble we want to get into today?"

Her feet hit the floor with the Doctor joining her. They linked arms together and exchanged cheesy grins.

"Dame Tyler would you care to join me the in galley for high potassium fruits and ring shaped pastries drenched in homogenized dairy product?"

"If that means banana and cereal in the kitchen, then, yes, Sir Doctor, I will," Rose replied cheekily.

"Well if you want to dumb it down." The Doctor's words echoed from the TARDIS hallways.

~/~

A distinct whirring noise filled the space of the shuttle, followed by an even more alarming clattering sound that elevated to a racket. The noise was almost deafening by the time a groan escaped a squirming lump behind the captain's chair of the confined space. Slowly a blonde head appeared from under a thick blanket, as Jenny finally regained consciousness and realized just what was happening to her ship.

Urgency and adrenaline pounded through her veins, as her twin hearts pounded in her chest. Her blonde hair was flying in every direction as she looked around her and realized she had fallen asleep in the control room again. Her thoughts raced at what could possibly be going on with her ship.

Leaping over the seat in a flourish, Jenny began to take the readout coming out of the monitor, as emergency lights came on in an eerie red glow. She kept telling herself she was going to replace those lights with a cheerier yellow, but Mr. Anderson had argued with her, telling her that red was his favorite color and that it was pretty. She found that she couldn't deny the little fella and didn't change them.

"Engine Pressure high, hull temperature increasing, shields failing," Jenny said, while she reached out and turned on view-screen. "Setting course for closest oxygenated atmosphere, hold on Mr. Anderson," Jenny shouted, while turned around to find a quivering creature, trying to push himself towards Jenny on a stump of tail. "We seem to be unable to steer the ship properly… or land."

An electronic voice began to fill the air, rising above the insistent noise. "Prepare for impact with the planet Alderaan in 5.42 minutes."

"Jenny crashing, stop! Anderson scared!" the creature shouted, while Jenny scooped the fury mass into her hands and gently brushed her hand over his black spotted red fur. The creature visibly relaxed, but stayed fearful. Mr. Anderson held out his tiny fur covered hands to grip onto her thumb. He was no larger than a mouse with large eyes that seemed to take up half of his face. Green antennae drooped in fear, while he tried to curl himself into a smaller ball.

He moved his legless body around with his arms while trying to position himself on his tail, but still fell over on his side. Jenny had to hold him steady, so he didn't tumble onto the floor. He let a pitiful squeak come up from his throat and began to shiver harder.

Jenny put on a brave face and brushed her check against his hairy back.

"Jenny," the creature said urgently.

"Hush now," Jenny said. "We'll be fine, you trust me don't you?"

"Anderson trusts Jenny," Mr. Anderson replied seriously, as if Jenny had insulted him. "Anderson scared for Jenny. Jenny love Anderson. Anderson love Jenny. Jenny save Anderson. Anderson no lose Jenny!"

"Impact in 4 minutes, survival possibility of Generated Anomaly, 5.4 percent, survival possibility of Chubchuck, 0.002 percent. Please assume crash positions," the electronic voice rang out again.

Mr. Anderson screamed, covering his little ears and looked fearfully at Jenny, who was grumbling something about needing to change the ship's programming. She was getting sick and tired of her own ship referring to her as the 'Generated Anomaly.' It was bad enough when her father referred to her in that way, but her ship saying it was ridiculous.

Reaching the back of the ship's control room, Jenny pressed the switch by the door and watched it ascend, while slipping Mr. Anderson on to her shoulder and giving his head a comforting pat. He purred in contentment and buried his face further into her neck. He couldn't help murmuring Jenny's name over and over against. The words were only intended for his ears, but Jenny picked up on them and cooed to him softly.

"I love you too; little one, but you're being way too pessimistic. Look on the bright side." She gave the small creature a wild smile, and placed a chaste kiss on his furry spotted forehead. "We've never crashed before, think of the fun. It's like a rollercoaster ride! You liked Coney Island VI didn't you? A whole new experience, just for the two of us!"

The red and black creature straightened out slightly and exposed his plush yellow-brown belly. Puffing out his chest, he tried to look tough in front of Jenny, despite how he had been acting. With a nod of his head, he offered Jenny a small grin and used his arms to pull himself up to her neck and begin to weave her hair into a simple braid, like he always did when he was nervous.

"Come on then, I need to get something before we crash." Jenny whispered a bit more quietly. She felt moisture beginning to drip onto her neck and knew that her pet must be crying, but she refused to look in that direction. She couldn't let the little guy see how upset and afraid she really was. That was not something her father would approve of. Not that it mattered, he wasn't here, and after all her years of searching she wasn't going to find him. He would never hug her again, or tell her she was brilliant.

She had spent the last six month searching for him. Of course, she didn't tell that to herself at first. Instead, she said she was travelling, viewing the worlds with everything at her fingertips. It wasn't until she was hurt on the planet Servitium with an injury that none of the doctors thought she would survive, did she admit how much she wanted her father to be with her.

She had slipped between unconsciousness and consciousness and saw him every time she drifted off. The doctor and nurses had told her when she finally began to recover that she would call out when she slipped away. Her words were always the same, 'Dad' repeated over and over again. She never begged for him to come for her, never asked why he wasn't there with her, or why he wasn't there with her in the first place.

It was a simple need, not a complex one. Every girl needed her father.

Jenny stepped into her room and carefully set the silently crying Chubchuck onto the bed she seldom slept on. He sat on the bed, watching Jenny intently, when a tremor ran through the trip and almost made Mr. Anderson fall onto his side.

"Be careful," Jenny told him, while she bent down in front of a drawer and took out a photo of her father.

She had finally gotten a picture of him by tapping into her ship's database. It had automatically downloaded the security tapes from the planet. She had spent hours rifling through the tapes before she found the one moment that she wanted to remember her father like.

He was standing next to her, holding the terraforming device above his head, poised to throw it to the ground. He was so strong, not like the last look she got of him, with tears in his eyes and a shaking voice.

"Jenny look for dad?" Mr. Anderson asked, as the muffled electronic voice gave another read out.

Jenny sniffed and shoved the picture in her pocket. "Yeah, you never know right? Crash a ship and he might come running to help."

Mr. Anderson gave her a sympathetic smile. "Jenny and Anderson bunker down?"

Jenny nodded, grabbing up her tactical bag and beginning to fill it with sheets from her bed. She set it down on the bed and helped Mr. Anderson inside. "Okay little friend, hang on tight, curl yourself around the covers and try to stay as small as possible. You'll be fine; just don't come out until you know we've stopped, got it. I don't care what you hear or feel. Stay in that bag and don't come out."

Jenny's words were soft but stern, while she made sure Anderson was comfortable and safe. He was busily wrapping himself up until only one eye and antenna were sticking out from the covers.

"Jenny alright?" asked the small voice coming up from the white fabric.

"I'll always be alright," Jenny muttered, giving the Chubchuck a final pat on the head and zipping up the compartment.

"Impact in 1.00 minute, please brace for impact."

"Here we go," Jenny muttered, as she ran back into the control room and began to shut down all power feeds and dump the fuel from the ship to prevent a fireball from encasing them when they finally did make contact with Alderaan's surface.

"Impact in 30 seconds."

Jenny climbed back behind her captain's chair and curled herself around the tactical bag. She pressed her ear against it and could just hear Mr. Anderson's whimpering.

"Hush now, sweetheart, wouldn't want to crash in a wet bag, would you? That wouldn't be fun?"

"Jenny," he cried out loudly. She could see the zipper on the bag beginning to open slightly, but she forced it shut.

"No," Jenny said harshly.

"Impact in 10…9…8…7…"

Jenny closed her eyes, reached into her pocket and touched the picture. She imagined the look on his face, the pride, the lack of fear. She was content.

"Three…Two…One…"

~/~

The Doctor and Rose sat down around the table in the TARDIS's kitchen. Rose munched silently on her cereal, while the Doctor was carefully slicing his already peeled banana with his sonic screwdriver. The gentle whirring coming from the device changed frequency, and the blue end of the sonic illuminated a single piece of banana and caused it to rise gracefully into the air.

The Doctor grinned and opened his mouth, so that the banana slice dropped in. He chewed happily and began to focus on more slices at a time. Gradually, the Doctor moved onto six banana slices and seven pieces of Rose's cheerios. She glared at him, but gave herself with giggles, when the Doctor's concentration broke suddenly and dropped all the food items into his hair.

Frowning, the Time Lord picked a piece of banana out of his hair and rolled it in his fingers before opening his mouth and attempting to eat the fruit. Rose swatted his hand away before he could try.

"No, Doctor," Rose told him, coming over taking the food out of his hair and dumping it in the rubbish bin. "I swear you act like you're nine, not nine hundred. Honestly, how did you get by without me?"

Rose tied her dressing gown tighter around her waist and sat down. Hazel eyes stared at the Doctor, taking careful notice of how his face fell slightly for the briefest of seconds. His face quickly broke into a smile and covered his unsure emotions.

"I had friends, Rose Tyler," the Doctor said, putting on an affronted voice. "I didn't become a hermit after we were separated." His voice softened and covered her hand with his. "I told them about you. Donna had wanted to meet you for the longest time. She might have been a bit happier to see you than I was."

"Really?" Rose asked, her voice sounding slightly pained.

"No," the Doctor said in a teasing voice that caused the minute amounts of doubt that were swimming around in her stomach melt away. "No man was as happy as I was."

Rose smiled, thinking back at how much she longed to see the Doctor like that again. His hair blowing wildly, his legs pounding and a permanent smile growing on his face. Her heart pounded just at the sight of him. If it wasn't for the Dalek, that would have been the happiest moment of her life.

"Rose Tyler, aren't you being a wee bit competitive?" the Doctor asked, coming up from behind her and drawing her into a hug. His arms encircled her and lifted her lightly from the floor into a spin. "I didn't get my chance to do that," he whispered in her ears, and spun her around one more time before she had to push off of him.

She didn't release her grip from around his shoulders while she stared into his eyes. She didn't dare to even breathe, as she watched the Doctor's eyes become filled with a longing. His hands moved down from her shoulders to rest at her lower back, outside the soft fabric of her robe. She lowered her eyelids when the Doctor moved in closer, and tightened her grip around the Doctor's shoulders. Her conscious thought faded away and the only thing that she could think of was a mental countdown. Three…Two…One…

"I better get the TARDIS ready," the Doctor said, jumping back and rubbing the back of his neck furiously. "She's been feeling a bit queasy lately, and I don't want her getting turned around and ending up in the middle of an ocean or an iceberg. You want to get dressed, right?"

He stared at Rose, and tried to avoid the hurt expression on her face, instead taking in her pink dressing gown. Her hands were shoved deeply into her pockets and her feet were shuffling slightly back from him, as if he had pushed her.

"Of course you do. Anyway, I was thinking Barcelona, but then I got to thinking, 'no it's way too crowded,' so I was thinking of going to the a nice planet somewhere, packing a nice picnic lunch and just talking, like we did on New Earth. Just like old times, eh Rose? Two travelers, not worried about defending or adventures, just two friends."

Rose nodded and gave him a smile. "Yeah, two best friends." She knew the words sounded flat from the moment they formed on her tongue, but she couldn't help herself. Friends… best friends, but still, just friends.

"Molto-bene," the Doctor said before walking with Rose out of the kitchen and listening for her door to close, while he acted like he was walking towards the console room. Instead, he leaned heavily against one of the coral struts and let his feet just out from underneath him. He covered his face with his hands and blew out all the breath in his lungs.

"Stupid…stupid…"


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"So, it's your turn, what was your most embarrassing moment, since I last saw you?" the Doctor asked, lounging back next to Rose on his jacket.

They were sat in the middle of a clearing about two miles away from the TARDIS. Trees similar to oak surrounded them and cast shade over their bodies. Rose was lying on her side facing the Doctor; the smooth fabric of the interior of his coat was supple against her elbow. He took his turn asking her a question over what happened to her while they were separated, a good natured smirk dancing across his lips.

Rose would never tell the Doctor, but this was how she loved to think of him. Not, the Oncoming Storm Doctor that so many people respected out of fear, but him being him, her Doctor. The way he lounged back with his hands cupped behind his head, staring at the birds as they flew across their view was how she always thought of him. He wasn't always the protector of the Universe; sometimes he could be the silent observer.

They were sitting very close to each other now. The awkward moment of the morning had passed them and they were back to being best friends–or slightly more.

She pondered the Doctor's question for a moment before giving him a soft laugh. "I was going on this mission for Torchwood. We were chasing these aliens–oh, what were they called? They were green and fat, sort of stocky–had an affinity for yellow apples."

"Zorgons," the Doctor offered, with a cocky grin.

Rose's eyes grew wide with recollection, and she nodded vigorously. "Yes, that's it. When, they feel threatened they–"

"–Like to produce large quantities of foul smelling mucus from their mouths," the Doctor finished with her. "You must have been scrubbing for weeks."

"I was," Rose giggled and flipped her hair back with her hands, as the wind blew through it. "Months even. A smell like rotting cabbage."

"Yeah, had a nasty run in with them before too, I believe it was my eight regeneration," the Doctor stated nostalgically, while he stared off into the distance. "So, we've been through embarrassing, funny, strange, and moments that you thought you were going to die from being way too high up on the empire state building, while getting electrocuted. Your turn to ask me something."

Leaning her head backwards, Rose smiled and stared at the Doctor, while he rolled on his side to face her with his head propped up on his palm. Something painful came across her face, as she looked down and contemplated if she should ask the question.

"One thing you missed most after we were separated," Rose asked finally. It wasn't that she thought that the Doctor shouldn't have moved on. She prayed that he had and that he didn't spend all his days mourning her loss. But, it pained her to think that she might have slipped through the cracks of his memories and never been mentioned again, like with Sarah Jane.

The effect of the question was immediate on the Doctor. His face became drawn and the shine in his eyes that had been present seconds ago was gone completely, replaced by the soft glisten of pained and controlled tears.

Rose shook her head. "I'm sorry, Doctor, I shouldn't have asked. Just… just forget that I said anything."

She dropped her head down lower, but the Doctor picked her chin up, so that she had to face him. His eyes now shone with an unsuppressed myriad of emotions. Among which, she thought she might have caught a glimpse of love.

"Chips."

"What?" Rose asked, slightly bewildered.

"I missed chips, while you were gone," the Doctor whispered softly, but after he realized what this must have sounded like to Rose, he explained hurriedly. "And, all those other little things that make humans… well, human.

"I mean, Donna and Martha were humans too, but they relished in the alien aspect of the 'job' a bit more than you do. I missed you wanting to do those simple things. I sometimes thought that maybe they were trying too hard to get on in an alien world. You though, Rose Tyler, saw the end of the world, and you came back, noticed the smell of chips, and wanted them as if they were your only care in the world. You stayed human, that's what I missed most when you were gone. Not many of my companions can claim that, but you can, Rose."

Rose felt relief wash over her, as the Doctor drew his hands around her and pulled her closely to him. She returned his hug and breathed in his scent–Doctor smell was the only way she learned to describe it–there was something about it that just screamed his name in her mind over and over again. She felt the weight of the worlds lift off of her, while he placed a gentle kiss in her forehead.

'_Ask him now,_' Rose's heart prodded her. '_He's being so open to you now; don't let him slip back away. Ask him._'

"What about you, Rose? What did you miss?" the Doctor whispered, while he smoothed her hair away from her face.

"You," Rose stated, without hesitation.

The Doctor gave a soft chuckle, which was returned with a friendly smack on his shoulder. His wounded expression was given away by the soft wrinkles forming at the corners of his eyes.

"I missed the way that you would leap into the console room all smiles, and how you changed your mind a million times and still had a plan. I remember just lying in bed and thinking about how much I wished something spontaneous would happen. Like, I don't know, meteors falling from the sky, alien invasions, or a little blue box showing up at my doorstep."

The Doctor gave a mirthless laugh, but Rose distracted him.

"But, the one thing that I think I missed most about you was that mop of brown heaven you call, hair," Rose teased, while she pushed her hand over the top of it and marveled at the luxuriousness of it. "I dreamed of your hair."

The Doctor gave a whimper. "Didn't you dream about my marvelous brain?"

"Nope," Rose said, winding him up.

"Rose Tyler, I'm ashamed–no appalled–that you would rate meager appearances over aptitude." The Doctor sat bolt upright and stared at her.

"Oh come on, Doctor, you can't honestly tell me that you don't treat your hair like it's your next of kin."

"Well, it is pretty amazing," the Doctor said, flopping back down and pretending to conceded. "It's big, you know."

Rose rolled her eyes.

"What about lunch?" Rose asked.

"I had a rather nasty one on this planet called Midnight. I'm not sure if it was chicken or beef, but it was pretty foul. I mean _blech_, I don't even think it would have been legal to consume on most planets."

"No, I meant why don't we eat?" Rose said, while she sat up and opened the basket. "I packed your favorite."

"Banana cream pie?" the Doctor inquired hopefully, trying to crane his neck over to see what was hidden in the basket.

Rose looked stunned for a moment. "You like bananas? I could have sworn that your favorite food was pear cobbler."

The Doctor pulled a face and was about to say that Rose shouldn't even be joking about something so serious, but a rustling stopped them. He held up a hand for Rose to keep quiet, while he got to his feet and tugged on his coat.

The rustling continued, and the Doctor looked at Rose. "Do you hear that?"

Rose nodded and looked around her. The fear in the Doctor's voice alarmed her, as she watched him close his eyes and listen to the sound.

"You're not gonna get anywhere by just listening," Rose told him. "There are too many echoes for you to pinpoint something that soft."

Rose glanced up at the trees, and bit her tongue between her teeth as she concentrated on what she was planning on doing.

"Wait here, Doctor," Rose said, before he could stop her.

The Doctor watched her carefully and found himself crossing his fingers behind his back. Rose was carefully scaling a tree and staring out over the forest. She brought her hand up to shade her eyes against the sun and held up a hand for the Doctor to come up as well. There was a smile forming across her lips that infected the Doctor, as he joined her on the sturdy branch. His arm gripped the trunk of the tree, as he leaned over and saw what Rose was staring at.

What had caught their attention was a deer-like creature leading her two fawns across the forest. The babies were obviously still getting used to the ground beneath their feet, as one of them stumbled and he head-butted his twin. Their fur was dark brown and completely smooth save for one place on one of the fawn's heads that stood up on end.

"Oh, Doctor, they're just darling," Rose whispered, not wanting to scare them. "Look at that one's fur, he's gotta cow-lick just like you."

The Time Lord opened his mouth to reply, but the sound of an explosion cut him off. The three deer bolted into the thicket; while Rose and the Doctor stayed frozen in the tree, unsure if it was safe to venture down.

A group of soldiers appeared from the trees–at least that's what the Doctor assumed they were. They carried hard looking machine-guns, as they marched through the forest. One shot ahead of them and the others listened intently. As if they were waiting for something to show itself.

Their individual appearances were far from human. Despite the fact that they were bipedal, their faces were stretched and misshapen from a human's perspective. They were covered in grey fur with black spots around their eyes, and rings around bushy tails that jutted from their backs. Rose and the Doctor were staring at what appeared to be half-human, half raccoon creatures that kept creeping closer and closer to them.

Rose tensed, as they stopped beneath the tree and looked around. The Doctor's hand tightened around hers, and she looked up at him with fear leaching from her dark, hazel eyes. His fingers slowly traced circles in Rose's hand. His breath stayed firmly in his chest and refused to release itself. The soldiers moved to where the Doctor and Rose had been lounging back and laughing a few minutes ago.

"Doctor," Rose whispered, but he silenced her with a finger to her lips.

"Shh," he whispered.

The picnic basket flipped over after it met a soldier's boot and scattered sandwiches, chips and the Doctor's precious banana cream pie onto the ground. There was confused talk among the creatures, but it quickly turned to sniggers, as they clapped their hands on each other's back and started to move on.

However, one of them happened to glance around. For a split second, one of the creatures locked eyes with Rose. She silently begged him not to alert anyone, but her hopes were in vain. She felt the Doctor's hand place a firm pressure between her shoulder blades and push her hastily from the tree. She tumbled to the ground and within an instant; the Doctor's arms were helping her to her feet and urging her on.

They were running by the time that the leader of the group shout, "Humans," at the top of his lungs and a barrage of bullets followed them through forest. They weaved their way past trees, daring to go deeper and deeper into the forest.

Rose didn't want to think about how far away they were getting from the TARDIS, or how lost they would be eventually. All she wanted was to break free and be safe, just her and the Doctor. She thought longingly to the time that they had just had together, how close she had gotten to asking him if he loved her or not. She was beginning to understand why the Doctor had never told her his feelings before.

It might not have been the fact that he didn't want to; it was that neither of them could ever get the words out together without being interrupted or cut off by the rest of the universe. No one wanted them to be together. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be.

As they pressed on through the forest, thirty minutes later, Rose noticed the Doctor was lagging behind further than she was used to. The bullets had stopped flying past them and she risked a look behind her.

The Doctor's face was pale, trying to conceal pain with a stoic mask and failing very miserably at it. He forced a smile, but Rose was no longer staring at his face. She was staring at the hole in the back of the Doctor's pants, right at his calf muscle. Blood was soaking through the pin stripes and leaving a trail of blood droplets behind him.

"Doctor," Rose risked slowing down further and forcing him to do the same.

"I'm fine, Rose. We've got to keep going," the Doctor said, forcing strength into his voice. "Come on."

He tried to cut past her, but she stubbornly slowed to a walk and forced him to sit down under a tree so that she could view his wound more closely. She rolled up his pant leg and could clearly see where the bullet had entered through the left side of his calf and cleanly exited the right.

"Why didn't you say?" Rose asked, as she began to tear away the hem of her t-shirt and wrap it tightly around his leg. The blood flow was not easily staunched, but she eventually got it to a small trickle, barely soaking through her the fabric torn from the hem of her shirt.

"Didn't want you to worry," the Doctor told her, while he tried to get up, but she pushed him back down.

"You're not going anywhere, Doctor," Rose said stubbornly.

"We've got to get out of here Rose," argued the Doctor. "They might be following us, or something. Who knows what they could be after, or why they shouted 'humans,' like that. Which, puts you in major danger Miss Tyler."

Rose smirked. She was certainly not the one who was in the most danger at the moment. The Doctor caught her look and laughed softly, while he looked down at his leg. He reached down to take of the bandage off, but she swatted his hands away.

"Don't mess with it, Doctor," Rose said sternly, while she tightened the bandage a bit more for good measure. "It needs to stay right there. You're lucky it missed any major arteries and veins or you could be on your way to becoming a completely new man right now."

Rose meant the words to sound like joking threat, but she couldn't keep the hint of pain from her voice. She had just found him, watched him almost regenerate and another version of him die within the last two days. She wasn't ready to lose him just yet. She just couldn't. Regeneration would be too much for her to bear right now.

The Doctor didn't reply, just sat back against the tree and watched as Rose joined next to him. She kept looking him over, like he might collapse at any moment, or as if he was hiding another injury from her eyes. He bit the bottom of his lip and tried not to think of the thoughts running through her head right now.

"Rose, I'm fine, honestly," the Doctor promised.

"Alright," Rose conceded, "but, you're still not going anywhere, yet. Not before we figure out a plan."

"Rose…" the Doctor stared, but he was cut off.

"They were heading that way," Rose said point to the east. "But, we went this way." She pointed to the north. "Two people are not the goal of a whole platoon like that. They probably chased for a while and dropped away, going back to where ever they were going before."

His head bobbed up and down in a nod, while the Doctor marveled at her logic. "Rose Tyler, I do believe that I'll make a scientist of you, yet."

Rose snorted and kept watching behind her back as if she expected something to appear out of nowhere.

"Doctor, what were those creatures?" Rose asked after a few moments of silence.

"Saigans," the Doctor said. "There like the Judoon, but worse, much worse. They seek to protect uninhabited worlds from being used by other species. They're a species of wars, Rose. Specifically with the human race. They don't like how you humans expand and 'conquer' new worlds or how you alter the natural balance of things."

Rose looked to see the Doctor shaking his head. "All those lives lost for an uninhabited piece of land. I must have taken you to this planet in the middle of one of their battles." The Doctor's voice turned apologetic. "Some date, eh?"

"Oh, I don't know. I don't think it would be a proper date if we didn't run for our lives," Rose teased, poking him in the stomach and giggling. "So, what's the plan?"

Laughter bubbled up from inside the Doctor. "I thought you were the leader on this mission. You've shot down all my ideas."

"I only shoot down the wrong ones. If you came up with a good one then we wouldn't be having this conversation." Rose leaned back and began reaching into the Doctor's coat pocket and feeling around until she found what she was looking for. "Aha!"

Cupped in Rose's hand, was the Doctor's Timey-Wimey detector and his sonic screwdriver. She fiddled with its knobs until a small tray popped out for underneath it with what appeared to be a soft-touch screen.

"How long's that been in there?" the Doctor asked confused.

"Since you built it," Rose told him with a roll of her eyes. "You don't happen to have a push pin or needle to you? Anything really pointy?"

The Doctor stared at her with confusion, but nodded and dug his hands into his pocket and pulled out a safety pin. "This?" He asked.

"Perfect," Rose said, working the needle out of its protective area and swiftly jabbing her finger with it. She smeared the blood on the screen and closed the tray.

After adjusting the sonic screwdriver to setting 67e, Rose started to push the sonic in the direction of the Timey-Wimey detector. However, just as her finger grazed the button, the Doctor snatched away the sonic and gave her the I-know-you're-only-a-human-but-sometimes-you-can-be-really-thick look.

"Setting 67e causes automatic disintegration of molecules into their basic elements," the Doctor said, rubbing the side of the sonic screwdriver and cooing to it before Rose grabbed it back from him.

"You're thinking of setting 67_g_and even so, it only works on steel, this is aluminum. It's already a basic element." Rose corrected him and buzzed the Timey-Wimey detector, until it lit up and indicated a direction with its little dish.

"This way," Rose said, beginning to walk southward, but the Doctor grabbed her shoulder.

"Why that way?" the Doctor asked incredulously.

"Humans are that way, instead of detecting Time Stuff, this little baby is gonna detect large settlements of humans, namely in this direction."

"Wait... let me get this straight, you've just discovered that this planet is crawling with armies and you want to go in the direction of the most people?"

"Not just people, Doctor, humans," Rose said slowly, "the Saigans are after humans, remember? So, I'm betting that the humans would be more than happy to get a helping hand from us, fellow humans–well humanoid in your case. And, they're only a half mile in that direction, which is five and a half closer than the TARDIS is."

Looking stunned, the Doctor stared at Rose until she helped him to his feet and supported his weight as they walked through the forest.

~/~

The first thing Jenny noticed when she woke up was a tingling sensation across all of her limps, warmth spreading over her body, and the stark lack of pain that she should have been feeling. She opened her eyes carefully and saw the golden energy floating around her, while she sat bolt upright, suddenly remembering what had happened.

Despite her dumping of the fuel, the shuttle was still smoldering slightly, as she pushed to her feet and began to move chunks of metal out of the way until a soft breeze blew through and the sunlight shined in. A squeak signaled behind her, and Jenny smiled.

"Mr. Anderson," Jenny said cheerfully, as she opened the backpack and the Chubchuck showed himself. He looked a bit dazed, but didn't seem hurt in any other way. "How you doing?"

"Boom make Anderson feel sick," Anderson stated pitifully, as Jenny scooped him up into her hands and hopped out of the clearance she had made. She checked that the picture of her father was still in her pocket, before she took in her surroundings.

They were surrounded by trees, wrapping around in every which direction. Most of them appeared to be oak trees, like the ones she had seen on Earth. The undergrowth was sparse, as only a few bushes seemed to be able to grow in the intense conditions.

"Which way then, Anderson?" Jenny asked him, but he was tilting his antennae to his left and listening closely. "What is it?"

"Anderson hear footsteps," he whispered, and stared up at Jenny, fearfully. "Huge footsteps."

"How many of them can you hear?" Jenny asked.

"One," Anderson whispered.

"Oh, well that's no problem then, GI Jenny remember?" Jenny teased and rubbed his yellow tummy.

She turned in the direction of the rustling, as it became audible to her ears, and she put on a smile. Anderson squealed in fear and dropped his antennae to the sides of his furry head.

A woman appeared from behind the tree and looked worriedly at Jenny. Her dark hair was pulled back in a pony tail and had a tinge of red to it, as she walked up to her and lowered her sidearm into her holster.

"Hello, are you alright? I heard a crash and figured someone might have been injured," the woman said, addressing the ruined spacecraft in front of her.

"Hi, um, yes, that was us, no one injured fortunately, although we'd take very kindly to you showing us where we might be able to settle down and figure out where to go next. I'm Jenny by the way, Jenny Anderson, and this is Mr. Anderson." Jenny introduced the two of them and held up Anderson for the woman to see.

"I'm Atali," the girl said and her eyes darted from Anderson to Jenny. "You two aren't married are you? I mean… He's not exactly... erm…"

"Going on seven years in a few months," Jenny said, glaring at the woman, but broke into a beam, as the woman's mouth dropped. "Nah, I'm teasing, he's a friend I picked up in my travels. He needed a home and I needed a first officer. He volunteered in a heartbeat."

Atali looked slightly less perplexed, as she reached out a finger and gently stroked Anderson's head moving with the soft red and black hairs. Jenny smiled at her and followed as Atali led them to the encampment.

"So, what brings you two here? I mean it's not exactly a prime tourist spot or anything," Atali joked, while she pushed some branches aside and exposed a pathway.

"My ship was crashing, and I had to make an emergency landing, not exactly smooth, but I'd say the falling was rather fun," Jenny said with a wide beam.

"Jenny and Anderson, rollercoaster." Anderson played along, moving his short arms down in a swooping motioned.

"I should warn you," Atali continued, her voice turning to a no-nonsense tone, "No one stays under the General's watch without earning their keep. You good at anything? We could use a mechanic."

Jenny's grin grew wider. "I love it, get it from my Dad, I think, never really met him for very long, but he's brilliant. Anderson can help too, he's good with wires."

"Anderson, make sparks fly," the creature said with a soft giggle.

Atali smiled at them as a military camp appeared through the trees. There were some permanent structures made from wood, but a greater number were collapsible, dark, green tents. There were men and women walking about wearing the same type of clothes that Atali was clad in, tight tan pants and a short darker tan t-shirts. Jenny noted that they weren't very good for camouflage in the area, but she figured surprise wouldn't have been an encampment this size's worry. It was defense.

"I'll take you to the General, and he'll sign you up, hopefully in the motor pool fixing up our toys, the boys can't seem to get any of them to work, but we'll see where you can go with it, all right?"

Jenny nodded to Atali and followed her into one of the few wooden buildings marked, General Tents. She smiled silently at the irony and composed herself, as they walked through the doors.

Atali saluted the General upon entering and smiled at him, when he returned it and told her to stand at ease.

"Bringing home strays again, Atali?" the General said lightly, as he held out a hand for Jenny to take and she shook it.

"Jenny Anderson, sir, I was a bred a soldier on the planet Messaline, been a freelancer ever since the leader of my unit tried to shoot my father. I'm very much willing to take any position if you are willing to offer one. My specialties include marksmanship, tactics, hand to hand combat, as well as mechanics, sir." Jenny addressed the older man seriously, while a grin spread across his face. She made sure to leave mechanics last so it would stick in his mind.

"Good, I need someone in mechanics, as I'm sure my daughter has told you. I like your composure, Jenny." The General stated. "You should know that we're less than a formal unit. I'm General Tents, but feel free to call me by my first name, Brandford. We're a big family around here, and some of us really are. My son, Bent, is a lieutenant, and you'll report to him when you go into the motor pool. Atali here is a major and the chief medical officer. You have any questions about this place, and I'm sure she can answer them better than I can. So, if you're comfortable and ready, I'd like you to report immediately to Bent."

Jenny nodded, but paused for a moment. "Sir, do you mind if I ask you something, quickly?"

"Certainly not." General Tents smiled kindly.

Jenny drew her father's picture from her pocket and passed it over to him. "You haven't seen this man have you?"

The General studied the Doctor, with a look of appreciation, but he shook his head. "Never in my life, Jenny. This man… he's your father."

It wasn't a question, it was a statement. The general had been a father long enough to know how a child looked at their parent. This girl must have been missing hers if she was willing to show a picture of him to a complete stranger, but judging by how rehearsed the words sounded, it was a question she was used to asking.

"Yes, sir. I took the bullet for him, he thinks I'm dead," Jenny said, taking the picture of her father back from the General's proffered hand. She gave it another longing glance, before she stuffed it back into her jeans. "I've been looking for him ever since. I… I don't even know if he's alive himself. He seemed like the type to get into trouble."

The General nodded sympathetically, and placed a worn hand on her shoulder. "I'll put out an APB, see if anyone at all had seen him."

"Thanks," Jenny said, forcing a smile. "I know it's a long shot, but you gotta hope, right?"

"Yeah, 'hope,'" General Tents said wistfully. "That's something we need more of around here. Welcome aboard Jenny Anderson, honorary private in the Humanoid Federation."

"Thank you sir," Jenny said, giving his a salute before walking out the room.

* * *

><p>AN: Reviews are love. :)


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Rose had her arm looped around the Doctor's waist by the time they reached the encampment. She didn't mind helping the injured Time Lord to walk; however, it would have been greatly appreciated, if he would have stopped trying to convince her that he was 'just fine.' It seemed like every ten minutes, he would murmur the now dreaded phrase, push off from Rose, and nearly land face planted on the ground.

Sighing, she tried to not think of what was really wrong with the Doctor's leg. She had told him that he was going to be fine and that it was only a flesh wound, but she had no real way of knowing. When she tied a torn piece of her shirt's fabric around the wound, she wasn't really trying to do a full blow treatment or examination. I was just a fast, messy job to get most of the bleeding slowed and, hopefully, stopped.

"Almost there," Rose told the Doctor, a hint of triumph on her voice.

He grunted a reply, while he shifted uncomfortably beneath her now unyielding grip. He gave her a wounded look, but she glared at him and tightened her grip even tighter around his waist just to illustrate her point. He wasn't going to collapse again.

"Hold still," Rose chastised, her voice rose slightly, as she began to scan the area for anyone to notice them.

The volume of her voice was enough to catch the attention of a man and a woman dressed in tan uniforms. If not for the guns, the Doctor would have thought they were better suited for a wildlife documentary. All they really needed was a couple of pith helmets. The woman's red hair was tied back tightly in a ponytail behind her head, while the man's hair was almost gone.

He gave them a subtle stare while he sized them up. They seemed friendly enough–concerned even. The woman had what he knew to be the equivalent of a second lieutenant's insignia of the Humanoid Federation on the forty-fifth century. It was a golden star surrounded by a serpent, signifying medical experience. Her crisp appearance seemed to go beyond her uniform as even her eyes seemed to be all business. Her olive skin was darkened from long hours spent in the sun. Her complexion would have been flawless if not for three white scars running down the length of her arm.

The man was only wearing a t-shirt, likely because of the heat, and not wearing anything with to portray rank. The Doctor, however, assumed that he was close to the woman's rank; by the way they addressed each other. His skin was much darker than the woman's, almost the same shade as chocolate. His kind eyes were deep, peering into the Doctor's and lingering on Rose. Something stirred within the Doctor at the thought of someone staring at her, but he pushed it aside. When did he become so human?

A slight wheezing noise escaped the man's lips, but no one other than the Doctor appeared to be noticing. He assumed it must have been because of the amount of loose dirt floating in the air from the dry conditions. With the lushness of the forest, it was hard to fathom why the encampment was placed in the middle of a miniature dustbowl.

"Hello," the Doctor greeted them cheerily and pushed off from Rose. She tried to catch his shoulder, but he managed to shrug her off easily.

"I'm John Tyler; this is my wife, Rose. We seem to have gotten into a spot of trouble with a group of angry Saigans. I'm a Doctor, by the way; I was told that there was a shortage, so the higher ups called on me. Rose, here, she's my…well, everything, but among that she's also the best assistant I've ever had."

He rubbed his neck when he felt Rose's eyes begin to burn the back of his head.

"I mean… she's… she's not my assistant… Well, she is, but not. She's more than that," the Doctor stumbled over his words, while the man gave him a sympathetic look and the girl gave him a humored look.

"I'm sorry," Rose said to them. "He's not feeling well, what with his leg all. He rambles when he's trying to hide something."

"She knows me too well," the Doctor said, sending a wide grin in her direction.

Rose put on a smile and tried not to think too hard on why the Doctor was suddenly referring to her as his wife. She hoped it meant he was regretting what he had done this morning, but one could never be very sure about anything with him. That fact became especially true when it came to matters of his hearts.

She was about to loop her arm around the Doctor's waist, but she found him reaching for her hand instead. She felt a cool, metallic object slip into her palm and automatically, she slipped it on behind her back. She looked down to see the Doctor had slipped a matching golden band around his finger and was twisting it on further to bring her attention to it. She glanced up at his face and opened her mouth, but closed it quickly. He gave her a crafty wink, as the man took the Doctor away from Rose and allowed him to lean on his bulky frame.

Rose never realized how small, and thin the Doctor was until she saw him next to the man. His arms were like tree trunks compared to the Doctor's. The rich, dark color of the man's skin seemed to add to the seeming grey pallor of the Doctor's skin tone.

"I'm Nala, and this is Herman," the girl said, bending down to lift the Doctor's pant leg and get a better view of the injury. "We're both lieutenants. I'm head nurse around here, and Herman's here lending a hand to the nursing staff, but he's also been helping in planning offensive attacks on the Saigans."

It was clear that she was talking to get the Doctor's mind off of his injury, but in knowing this, he couldn't ignore the pain that was radiating from the area. Not on his own accord, the Doctor found himself looking over to Rose for assurance. The moment lasted only for the briefest of seconds, but Rose picked up on immediately. She squeezed his hand in return, letting her confidence radiate into him.

The Doctor winced as Nala peeled the blood-soaked fabric of Rose's t-shirt away and revealed that the blood had started to flow freely again during the walk over. He gritted his teeth and put on a brave face for Rose, while she tried to keep her eyes trained on the Doctor's face and not his leg.

This wasn't how he was supposed to be. The Doctor never succumbed to anything, never faltered and never failed. He had never done that when they were together, or maybe that was just how she tried to remember him. It meant that when she was hopping from dimension to dimension that she wasn't doing it to be selfish. She was doing it to save a hero for the rest of the universe. That's what he told herself. The Doctor was a hero and there was not another way that it could be phrased.

"Mrs. Tyler," Nala stared. "I'm going to take your husband into see out chief medical officer. I'm a nurse, but this is a bit beyond my experience."

"What d'you mean?" Rose asked, noticing the Doctor growing a bit paler. She put a hand to his cheek in a comforting motion and felt sweat beginning to percolate there.

"'M fine," he said softly to her, but Rose could tell he was lying now.

Nala shrugged her shoulders. "It doesn't look right. I mean the wound it's like it's rotting, but you said he just got it. This was the Saigans, right? They must have developed something."

Nala was taking on an assertive tone to her voice and instructed Herman to lift the swaying Doctor into his arms. "I don't want him standing on it, it'll make the blood rush faster, and we don't want whatever they've infected him with running into the rest of his system."

"Mr. Smith, can you tell me how you're feeling?" Herman asked, as they four of them began walking into a wooden building with a green moon painted on the side of it. '_Universal Symbol for Hospital,_' Rose recalled.

"Fine really, just tired, but that's the blood loss. My leg hurts, but no more than you would expect," the Doctor said, looking over at Rose and back at his position in Herman's arms as if it was a huge affront to his dignity. "Just need a bandage, then I can help you all. That's what I'm here for isn't it?"

Rose held open the doors to the hospital as everyone else stepped through.

"Don't worry about that, Dr. Tyler," Nala said, when Herman placed the Doctor on one of the exam beds in the makeshift hospital. "Any medical conditions we should know about, sir?"

The Doctor nodded, taking the bell of the stethoscope she was getting ready to use and placing it over each of his hearts. "I've got two," the Doctor stated. "That's not a problem, is it?"

Nala shook her head. "Not at all. You're clearly here to help and were shot at the hands of our enemies; I don't see any reason to fear you. General Tents, I'm sure would be willing to take you two in, especially given your medical experience. We just welcomed a new mechanic with two hearts. I did her physical."

The Doctor frowned at Nala, but decided not to press it. There were lots of creature with a duel cardiovascular system, Time Lords had the best of course, but none the less there were. "Thanks." The Doctor grunted a reply.

In the background, Herman handed Rose a flannel and a shallow basin of cool water. "For his fever," he whispered in her ear.

"No dissections, Rose," the Doctor teased, while he eyed the flannel wearily.

She was leaning over by his head, while the two nurses made a call for Dr. Atali Tents.

"There better not be, considering I'm your wife, now," Rose replied teasingly, while she bit down on the edge of her tongue in a trademark Rose Tyler smile.

She began to make herself useful with the flannel. She removed his Jacket, shirt, and t-shirt, so she could sponge cool the ever increasing temperature of his chest as well as his face.

His twin hearts galloped in his chest against her hands, as they tried to battle whatever toxin was trying to have its way with him. She repeatedly dipped and wiped, over and over again, until, Dr. Tents, came in and introduced herself.

"I'm Rose, this is the Doctor, that's his nickname," Rose introduced them.

"Nice to meet you," Atali greeted, reading the Doctor's chart and staring at the newly cleaned wound. The cleaning had slowed down the progression of the flesh's deterioration, but there was still a great deal of damage already done. Rose had told them at first it was a clear way to view the path of the bullet, but now the wound had grown and manifested into an abnormal shape that the Doctor swore looked like Queen Victoria.

"She wouldn't be amused by that," Rose murmured lowly for only his ears. He gave a dreary attempt at a smile as he closed his eyes.

He could feel Atali rechecking his blood pressure and his hearts. A thermometer was buried under his tongue. The idea that the instrument might melt briefly crossed his mind, while he wondered if they would make him pay for it. He didn't have any money with him, which could be almost detrimental. He felt the cold flannel cross over his forehead again and tired to make a sound of pleasure, but couldn't quite remember how.

Rose smiled as the Doctor's mouth formed a word silently on his lips. There was clear pleasure from her action and she quickly repeated it. Her hands worked on their own accord after a few more strokes and she was soon looking up at Atali.

Her face was hidden behind the clipboard as she compared readings. Two thin, dark eyebrows rose up and exposed themselves, but she managed to keep composure in her voice.

"Doctor, I'd like to take you into surgery and removed the rotting flesh, hopefully that should catch it in time and solve your problem," Atali explained. "Are there any medications you can't have?"

She looked down at the Doctor, but found that he had finally succumbed to what was running rampant through his body and drifted into unconsciousness. She looked to Rose, who nodded seriously.

"No Aspirin, any at all and he's as good as dead," Rose warned. "Or, any pain medication. He'll be fine, he's good with pain, but he cannot have any pain medicine. No matter what."

Nala looked sorrowfully at the Doctor, but Atali agreed, seeing how serious Rose was. This wasn't going to be fun for the Doctor in the slightest.

"Okay," Atali said, taking a deep breath and turning to Herman. "Get my father in here ASAP and tell him his surgeon has arrived in a bad way, alright? Make sure he comes, got it?"

"Yes, ma'am," Herman said, and he hurried off.

"It shouldn't be long for him now, Rose," Atali promise, as she took the flannel from the younger girl's hand and placed it in the basin. "He'll be fine. We've got the highest survival rating compared to any other unit."

Rose nodded and gently roused the Doctor back into consciousness with a soft kiss on his forehead. "Rose," the Doctor groaned. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Rose told him. "You heard her, best survival rate. You'll be fine."

"Will you be?" the Doctor asked.

"I'm always alright," Rose told him, "as long as you are."

"They said there was someone else with two hearts," the Doctor whispered. "It's a long shot, but would you mind checking? Don't tell her who I am or who you are yet, but just see what you can get from her. I don't want you to be pacing around waiting for me."

"Alright," Rose said, rising to her feet as heavy footsteps sounded behind her.

A large, sturdy man approached the two of them. His eyes lingered on the Doctor a moment longer than Rose would have expected, but she decided to brush it aside. The man introduced himself as General Tents, and the Doctor proffered his hand for a shake. It didn't have the normal firmness that it usually did. Instead, Rose saw the Doctor squeeze the man's fingers before letting his hand drop limply to the bed. His eyes remained bright, however and he was definitely winning the General over.

"Well, Doctor," the General said, kneeling down next to the Doctor's bed to level better with the ill man. "I can assure we will fix you up in no time, and take good care of your wife while you're laid up. Can I assume that the two of you are willing to still help out around here even after what happened?"

"Yes, Brandford," the Doctor said with an effort, trying to himself seem less of an urgent case than he was.

"See you later, Doctor," Rose whispered, cupping his cheek briefly.

The Doctor muttered something unintelligible, as he drifted off and Herman began ushering her out of the room, as they disrobed the Doctor and prepped him for surgery.

xXx

Jenny had stripped off her ruined jacket and was leaning over the engine of a Jeep and muttering something every now and then. Her blue t-shirt was covered in grease from not bothering to find a towel. Her feet were about a foot from the ground, while she leaned awkwardly over the car's hood. Her arms were reaching deep into the bowls of the jeep to replace the ancient internal combustion engine block's ruined pieces.

"What have you boys done to it?" Jenny shouted to the group of men surrounding her, she was assuming they wanted to learn a lesson. Unfortunately, Jenny wasn't in a position to realize what they were actually trying to get to know. "The flywheel looks like it's been hit with a bat repeatedly and there's more dirt in those cylinders than on the ground. Honestly, don't you have to learn the parts of an engine before you use one?"

"Well, we thought it was the fan-belt making that noise," a young-man with a smirk unseen to Jenny.

"Well it's not, you're lucky the entire engine didn't blow on you," Jenny, said, as she got up and wiped her hands on her t-shirt again, it was ruined anyway. "Guh, can you guys handle mending those cylinders, while I try to fix the carburetor on the ambulance? What were you guys going to do if you were going to bug out?"

"Run screaming for our lives," the man that she had come to first, Bent, stated.

"Oh, well, I can help you there, too," Jenny said with a wide grin. "Love the running."

"My friend says the same thing," a feminine voice said from behind the sea of men. "Loves the running, can't keep up with him half the time. That was his first word to me, 'run.'"

Jenny smiled and poked her head up from under the raised bonnet of the ambulance, and stared at a blonde woman standing in jeans and a torn t-shirt. There were some blood stains on her clothes, but she didn't seem to be in pain, so Jenny decided not to press it. She wore a look of worry that would not allow Jenny to ask.

"Sounds like fun," Jenny said, beaming. "I'd like to meet him."

Rose nodded, not addressing the topic further; instead, she moved to Jenny's side and leaned over the engine block of the ambulance.

"I'm Rose, Rose Tyler," Rose introduced, while she reached down and replaced a spark plug in place where the previous one had appeared to have gone missing.

"Thanks, I'm Jenny Anderson, and I'd introduce to you Mr. Anderson, but he's still in the jeep, working on the electronics, can you believe these blokes let these beautiful works of art deteriorate so far?"

Rose laughed, and glanced behind her to see a couple of blokes passing the missing spark plugs between them and craftily hiding it in a box of spare parts sitting on the floor. She found herself rolling her eyes and turning back to Jenny leaning unknowingly over the engine.

"I think that does it," Jenny said, standing up and rubbing her hands together. She stopped in front of the group of boys and gave them a hard stare, while she scooped Anderson into her hands and brushed some grease from his hair. "Don't you dare touch any of these vehicles. I've got them all fixed up, and I'd like for them to stay that way." Her glare fell on the group of men.

They gave her a mock serious stare, as she walked off with Rose in tow. She pushed her heavily on the shoulder and giving her a smirk. Jenny looked up at her bewildered, but didn't seem affronted.

"You had all of them yearning for you, Jenny," Rose told her.

"What d'you mean?" Jenny asked innocently, but she bit her lip and averted her gaze.

"Oh, you evil girl," Rose teased. "I like you."

"Really?" Jenny asked, getting a bit hyper and bouncing on her heals. "I've never had a proper girl friend before, Just Anderson here, but he's not a girl, obviously. He's also a bit of a worrier."

Anderson harrumphed his disagreement and held out a paw for Rose to shake. "I Anderson, I brave, Jenny lie, Rose pretty."

Rose pretended to blush and shook the Chubchuck's hand.

"So, what's your story, little one?" Rose asked.

"Anderson born wrong on Anderson's planet, stumpy tail." Anderson shook his furless and short green tail to demonstrate. "Anderson outcast. Jenny save Anderson. Anderson first officer."

Rose looked up at Jenny, and she briefly touched her fingers to her lips to tell Rose not to continue with the topic. She nodded her understanding, but to her surprise, Anderson kept talking on his own accord.

"Jenny look for father," Anderson whispered softly, rubbing some tears from his eyes. "Anderson never have parents to love. Anderson don't want the same for Jenny."

"That's very honorable, Mr. Anderson," Rose told him, gently accepting him into her hands as he motioned to Jenny. "I'm sure Jenny is very appreciative."

"I do," Jenny told him, as they began walking into what appeared to be a mess tent. They sat next to each other at a vacant table and let the Anderson sit on the table. She must have noticed Rose's confused look and she hurried to explain. "My dad thinks I'm dead. I jumped in front of a bullet to save him… I didn't even think. That look on his face when he thought I was dying. It was so lost. I… I didn't mean to hurt him."

Rose immediately swopped Jenny into her arms and held on tightly. The young woman wasn't sobbing loudly, or making a scene, but she was clearly distraught. Rose spoke softly too her, rubbing her back in a constant circled.

Jenny didn't know why she suddenly started opening up to this woman. She just seemed right, like she was supposed to like her. She seemed familiar; despite the fact that she had only just met her.

"That friend I was talking about earlier," Rose started, wondering to what degree she should tell Jenny about the Doctor. "We travel together. He can help you find your father. He's a genius–when he's not being a complete idiot. He loves helping people, Jenny. He's a bit banged up at the moment, but I'm sure he'll be fine. Just give him a bit of rest, alright? He needs it."

Jenny nodded, a beam suddenly breaking across her face, as she threw her arms more tightly around Rose's neck. "Oh, thank you, thank you, Rose. My ship crashed, it's not even repairable, just a heap of metal. I had to regenerate. I was lucky Anderson got out fine."

Rose swallowed hard and stared at Jenny as if she had snakes for hair.

"You said regenerate?"

"Yeah," Jenny said nonchalantly, while she tugged on her long blonde pony tail. "No big deal, really. I mean, it's something Time Lords do. That's why my father thought I was dead. He didn't know I was Time Lord enough to survive."

"What's your father's name?"

Jenny looked down. "Never told me his proper name, just, 'the Doctor,'" Jenny explained. "I know that sounds dumb, but I think he does it to hide something."

"All that pain," Rose murmured. 


	6. Chapter 5

AN: Jack/Jenny? I think it works just fine. ;)

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

"What?"

"The pain from the Time War," Rose clarified without thinking, her mind was suddenly racing with possibilities. His daughter. A daughter without her. "The Doctor never really says, but every now and then there's something."

Jenny didn't seem to notice the look of shock on Rose's face. Her excitement seemed to be growing by the second, as she all but leapt to her feet and placed her arms on Rose's shoulders. Rose couldn't fight a smile. Even with her deep blue eyes and blonde hair, Rose couldn't help seeing the Doctor in her. His wild expression and boundless energy had clearly come into being with his girl, even if she was another woman's daughter.

She forced the small pang of jealousy down in her stomach and focused on Jenny, while she got to her feet and waited for Jenny to gather enough composure to speak.

"You know him then? My father?" Jenny asked, taking the picture out of her pocket and sliding it in Rose's direction.

Her eyes immediately grew wide with admiration. He was standing tall, looking noble and so handsome. He was wearing the blue suit that John had died in. She never noticed until now how well it suited him.

TARDIS blue, with red chucks. He must have tried to move on a bit since he lost her. Even his hair seemed longer and less tamed, and a five o'clock shadow was showing up around his chin–something he would consider unthinkable before. She understood why he would do it though. She had done the same thing. A whole new Rose Tyler and a whole new Doctor, but they still managed to be a perfect match. Moving like two beams of light, always right beside each other, but never deviating enough to touch.

"That's him," Rose said, and Jenny could tell by her reaction that she wasn't lying. "He said all the Time Lords and Ladies had died. I assume your mother is…"

Rose approached the subject tentatively, wondering if all this would break Jenny's hearts more than hers. It wasn't really a question that would come up in your average conversation, but it was something that she needed to know. She needed to know if someone had broken the Doctor's hearts and left him. If there was anything she could get him to talk about, to make him feel less afraid. If there was someone he loved more than he liked her.

"Him," Jenny said, shifting into a serious voice. She didn't seem hurt, just confused, as if remembering something she hadn't really wanted to think of. "He's biologically my mother and father. He called me a Generated Anomaly, that's where Jenny comes from; a woman named Donna picked that. And, people seem to need surnames these days, so I picked Anderson using the same system she did. Do you know her as well? She's amazing."

The young girl's eyes lit up brightly as she stared off. Rose couldn't help grinning too. Donna. She had always imagined that the Doctor was in need of just a mate, but she was almost certain no one would be able to do that. He was too striking, too intelligent, too Doctor-ish to not have it that way. Better women than Rose were unable to turn away the Doctor's charms that he seemed to hide under a suit with too many layers and fabrics.

Donna Noble, she was something special.

"She is that," Rose agreed softly with a small grin.

When Jenny had said the phrase 'generated anomaly,' she acted as though the words tasted bad in her mouth, and who could blame her? Her father had called her something that should never have happened. Rose understood where she was coming from. It had taken a while for Pete to finally come to terms with accepting herself and her mother as his own. It came with trying to heal the pain that came with losing his Jackie, just like the Doctor with his family on Gallifrey.

It was even worse with the Doctor, though. All that put on his shoulders, a fully grown daughter thrown into life where he was constantly fighting to stay alive.

They sat in silence for a long time while the two girls gathered their thoughts. Jenny, tugging absently at her pony tail, and Rose picking at the torn fabric of her t-shirt still stained with the Doctor's blood. Jenny reached out a hand with an almost fearful motion and touched the blood.

"His blood?" Jenny asked.

"Yes," Rose said, not sure if she should explain further or not. She didn't even know the Doctor's true state and the last thing she wanted to do was to make this girl think that he was in worse shape than he was. Or worse, give her false hope.

"You're his… girlfriend?" Jenny asked tentatively.

"Well," Rose said, spinning the fake wedding ring around her finger. "Until he gets better, and we get back to the TARDIS, I'm his wife. But, in truth, I don't know. I think he does. I told him I loved him, and I when I was taken away from him... he couldn't finish his sentence. I think it hurt him, makes him not want to try. Or, maybe he just doesn't like me like that. I really don't know."

"I don't even know if the bloke I like exists."

"I'm sure that he's out there somewhere, you just have to keep looking," Rose assured her, gently putting a hand on her shoulder.

Rose dropped her eyes lowly, and Jenny was about to push the matter more aggressively, but the woman she met earlier, Atali, walked up to them.

Her hair was tied back in a tight bun, with a tired look on her face. Rose tired to read what she was thinking, but found it nearly impossible. She had a doctor's eyes. Ones that didn't let you know what was going on until the person spoke.

"Mrs. Tyler," the Atali started, while she reached up her hand and tucked a stray piece of hair away from her eyes. "Your husband is out of surgery. As far as I can tell, removing the flesh has worked. He's already showing signs of overcoming the anesthesia, and mumbling your name. I assume you would like to be there when he wakes? I think it would help him."

Rose nodded eagerly and looked to Jenny. With a jerk of her head and a smile, Rose gave her an unspoken permission to be there and see her father again. Not, that she would have listened if she hadn't given her permission, but it was nice to have the consideration. Jenny beamed and wrapped her arms around Rose's neck, muttering her thanks over and over again, as Rose held onto her with a gentle grip.

Atali raised an eyebrow, but Rose mouthed, 'daughter,' to her, and she swiftly understood.

"We don't believe he'll need to stay overnight in the hospital, but I'm heading over to confer with Nala, the head nurse, and see how he's changed now that he's coming through, so in an hour or so we should have an answer for you," Atali stated, before realizing that Rose's clothes were still soiled with her husband's blood and Jenny's were coated in grease and motor oil. "And, some clothes for the three of you are being searched for at the moment." She smiled broadly through slightly crooked teeth. "I hope you like tan."

Rose nodded and shook Atali's hand once Jenny had finally released her grip from around her shoulders. She smiled at Jenny, and placed a gentle hand on the side of her arm.

"You ready?" Rose asked.

"Yep," Jenny said happily, as they began to walk out of the mess tent.

Rose's smile widened as she held open the door and listened as Jenny started rambling off one of the tales from her travels. She was really only half listening, as her words melded with the Doctor's in her mind. She half expected the young girl to come up with a French catchphrase, but she didn't. She did however, have the Doctor's same magic way with words, like they were something she prided herself in. A word with the right shape and sound for every occasion might have been her life's mission by how carefully she brought the images of her travels to life again for Rose. She'd go far in setting criminals off to her plans just like her father.

There was however, that slight bit of tenderness in her voice that Rose couldn't place. It was foreign to her now, but she thought that she had heard it once before. It came from a time when the Doctor was still filled with that boyish charm he had acquired just after he regenerated. When he was brimmed to the top with wanderlust and Rose had to put up a fight just to keep him in one place. It was a time after he had healed, and traveled out of desire instead of duty or escape.

"That's when I met him," Jenny said, in a suddenly lost tone that was coated in pain. Rose looked over to see Anderson sadly curling into a ball into her hand. "We were pulled apart."

"What happened?" Rose asked, slowing their pace just slightly, so Jenny would have an opportunity to relinquish any grievances that she didn't think she could tell to her father. He was a great man, but sometimes the desire to impress him made him harder to talk to than one would imagine on first glance.

"The computer that was holding all the people in the Library together–I don't really know. He said, just before everything went, white that we were being transported out of the computer's memory, but I… I didn't understand. I held onto him, but we… we were just torn apart. I told him I'd find him, and he said he'd wait, but I waited until I was the very last one and he wasn't there. He used to tease me that there was always the possibility that he was there and I wasn't, like he had made me out of his will."

Rose's eyes ghosted into memory. The void, the handle, the Doctor shouting her name and trying to reach out to her more than anything. The look that said he was a second from jumping in after her and dying with her. She knew he would have done it if Pete hadn't of caught her in the end. He would have held her and she would have been wrapped in his arms forever.

"I know the feeling," Rose told her softly.

"You lost someone," Jenny whispered knowingly.

"I lost the Doctor," Rose told her.

"What happened?" Jenny asked, her blue eyes widening with pained curiosity.

"S'a long story," Rose said, trying not to talk on the subject, but seeing the desperation in Jenny's eyes, Rose knew that she didn't just want to know. She needed to know. Needed to know that there was hope beyond measure.

"Please, Rose?" Jenny begged.

"When me and the Doctor are together," Rose stated, looking down at her feet. "We need to be together for this, okay?"

Jenny nodded, and looked up to see the hospital ward. It was almost looming, her father inside with some sort of ailment that she didn't know about. She raised Mr. Anderson closer to her chest and slowly began stroking the top of his head while she muttered something softly to him. Her hearts began to beat out a hurried rhythm as she shifted slightly in the combat boots she kept from Messaline.

"I'm afraid he can't go in with you," Nala said, breaking her out of her thoughts, as she appeared outside the doors.

Jenny looked crestfallen, but Nala took Anderson into her hand and stroked his head gingerly, smiling at the creature. He seemed content in her hands as he gave Jenny a brave look and crossed his arms over his chest in a tough gesture.

"Anderson strong, Jenny," he proclaimed, as he looked up at Nala with glee. "More pretty girls."

"Shut up, you," Jenny chided, before shooting an apologetic look at the head nurse, who was more than content with his 'flattering.'

"It's all right; I've had much worse," Nala assured them with a small laugh, "much worse. I'll just take him to your quarters, we're using the VIP tent, but I'm afraid you'll have to bunk with Dr. and Mrs. Tyler though, we're in a bit of a space crunch."

With that, Nala walked off, leaving Rose and Jenny standing outside the hospital, both not quite sure what awaited them through the doors.

"What exactly was wrong with him?" Jenny asked, as she shifted her feet from side to side. She had her hands shoved deep in her pockets. Rose could swear that the closer to the Doctor they got the more she acted like him.

"He got shot, in the leg. It seemed fine, superficial, but it wasn't. I don't know; they might have poisoned the bullet or something. It made him sick," Rose explained as Jenny held the door opened for her and let her step through.

Jenny nodded and immediately found her father, lying back in a hospital-type bed. The other beds were almost all filled with several injuries and a few illnesses, but both Jenny and Rose's eyes were blind to them.

His eyes were lowered, but she could tell he was restless. He mouth moved almost soundlessly. She thought the word might have been, 'Rose,' but Jenny couldn't be sure. Rose silenced him when her hand laced through his. She beckoned Jenny closer and whispered in his ear. One of her hands covered the Doctor's forehead in a gentle motion, as if she was checking his temperature again.

She pressed a kiss into his forehead, and the Doctor's brow relaxed itself, making him look ages younger. His brown hair fell floppily over his face and Rose brushed it away carefully, before gently cupping his cheek.

Jenny found herself holding her breath in captivation. There was so much devotion clear on this woman's face towards her father. She understood now what Rose had meant; when she said that she had lost the Doctor and felt the same pain of when she lost her love. It wasn't just that her father changed people's live, her father _was_ Rose's life.

The look on her face, when she was around him, the way her father reacted to her touch even when he was unconscious. She wondered how Rose could doubt if they were in a relationship, but then she remembered something her father had told to Donna. He had lost everything, in the Time War. His children, his family, a wife must have been in that mix. How could anyone love after that?

"Look who I found, Doctor," Rose whispered, before throwing a wink in Jenny's direction, and breaking the blonde girl out of her thoughts. "Being gawked at by a bunch of boys, none the less. You're daughter, Jenny. You remember you told me to investigate? Well, she's here, and desperate for you to talk to her."

Rose grabbed Jenny's arm lightly and had her kneel down next to the Doctor.

"Hey, Dad. Some role reversal, eh?" Jenny forced a laugh through her lips as she continued to stare at the Doctor.

The Doctor seemed to stir, his eyes falling on Rose first as she squeezed his hands reassuringly. She touched his chest gently, just above his left heart. The touch was meant to sooth him, but she could feel his heart beating quickly. There was pain in his eyes, like he didn't want to look. A question formed on his lips, but his mouth fell shut as he shook his head gently back and forth, squeezing his eyes shut. Without hesitation, Rose gently hooked her fingers under his chin and moved his head so that Jenny's face filled his vision when he was finally brave enough to open his eyes.

"Jenny," he breathed.

"Hello, Dad," Jenny said tentatively. She stared at him for a moment, letting everything sink in for him.

The Doctor was silent, as his eyes stayed locked on the daughter he thought he had lost. Her blond hair, kind blue eyes and grease stained t-shirt all shouted at him that this was his daughter, but he almost couldn't believe it. He was running a fever. He was hallucinating she couldn't be real. His mind was stronger than others, with clearer memories, that meant his hallucinations could take a better hold of his mind.

And, she was standing there with his Rose, someone who he had just gotten back after all this time, after all that pain. Two impossible people standing there in front of him.

Never impossible, just a bit unlikely.

"You died," he said dumbly, not moving an inch in her direction, but not moving away either.

"Regenerated," Jenny said, with a small grin.

"You look the same," the Doctor said, taking a hand and gently stroking the front of her bangs before lowering his hand back down to the bed.

"Yeah," Jenny agreed, staring at his hand and wanting more than anything to take it in hers. However, she found herself frozen in one place, not able to move.

Seeing her need for a more lasting touch, the Doctor slowly raised his hand to gently cup her face. He ran his thumb over her forehead and ran it down the left side of her face and then the right. His eyes studied her intently as he finally made his move and gathered her into his arms. He gently ran his hand up and down her back, while she clung to his shirt, like a small girl frightened by a nightmare in the middle of the night would cling to her father, and in a way she was. She had seen the terrors of the universe, had her heartbroken and been driven to the brink of life without having lived.

Tears stung the Doctor's eyes and threatened to roll down his cheeks. He refused to let them fall as he felt Jenny's long blonde hair tangling between his fingers in their embrace. She was less restrictive with her own tears. The salty rivulets fell down her face from where she rested her chin on the Doctor's shoulder before moving down lowed. She buried her face in his chest, clad in a hospital gown and let her tears wet the thin fabric.

"Oh, God, I missed you," Jenny sobbed quietly, the noise almost lost into his chest, but the Doctor caught it.

"I thought you died, Jenny," the Doctor repeated, his voice soft and broken, as he looked over Jenny's shoulder and to Rose. She was smiling softly at him as she touched his shoulder softly and walked out of the room, to let him be alone with his daughter. He almost wanted to follow her, to run into her protection, but he restrained herself. He was the one who needed to be strong, for Jenny.

"I know… I'm sorry," Jenny apologized earnestly, still talking into his chest. "I should have searched harder and faster. I'm so sorry, Father."

The Doctor pulled back, giving her a hard stare.

"No, don't you dare apologize," the Doctor said roughly. "This wasn't your fault. It will never be your fault. I'm your father; I should have known that there was a chance."

He smiled proudly at her with a look of enthrallment. "I should have known you were a proper Time Lady."

Jenny almost blushed under his words. He called her a Time Lady, not just an echo, a fully fledged Time Lady.

"How about we agree to put that behind us, eh?" Jenny asked, a small smile spreading across her face.

The Doctor nodded, but stopped and gave her a quizzical look.

"How do you know about regeneration?" the Doctor asked.

"I was travelling found this library to look up Time Lords. It was amazing, a planet-wide library. They didn't have much–on Time Lords that is, but there was this thing, these shadows that were moving in and everyone was trying to move out. It was like putting people into this big super computer, and I met this man. He was clever, and handsome. I think I might have even made him up, but he knew about Time Lords, said he knew you even.

"He called himself Jack Harkness," Jenny continued. "He said he knew you. Is he… is he real?"

The Doctor nodded and smirked, trying to put on his best 'father-figure' voice. "He is real, and he's also a massive flirt. If Rose has her way, then we'll probably end up seeing him again. Be careful around him; deck him a couple times if you have to."

Jenny laughed and gathered her rambling father into her arms again. He was going to take her to see Jack; she was going to see him again. Another reunion to accompany this one, it was perfect.

She breathed deeply and found him doing the same. At first it seemed like he was just content to be back with her again, but then she realized he wasn't just breathing her in, he was smelling her intently. His fade scrunched up in concentration as he focused on the smell seeping into his nostrils.

"What are you doing?" Jenny asked drawing back, but the Doctor ignored her and took her hand.

He brought it up to his face and breathed deeply and licking it quickly before she could protest. The action drew a glare out of Jenny, as he moved his tongue around in his mouth.

"You've regenerated," the Doctor said, taken aback. "Did I just get back from leaving you? No, you said you were in the library and met Jumping Jack Flash. No, it was within the last few hours. What happened?"

Jenny shrugged her shoulders and avoided his gaze. She had just gotten back to him and she could see that she was already causing him pain. In an attempt to shrug it off, she forced her voice and expression to be teamed with frivolity.

"I crashed my ship," Jenny said. "The Thermo-buffer went completely mental and my engine over heated. I'm fine though."

The Doctor shook his head seriously. "Jenny, this is serious. You can't just blow through your regenerations. They're limited, and you're just as mortal as a human when it comes to being able to die."

He sighed and dropped his head lowly. "You're too much like me as it is, Jenny. I don't want you blowing through your regenerations to be added to that list."

Jenny frowned. "What do you mean, Dad?"

"I'm 904 years old, give or take," the Doctor stated, "and, I'm on my tenth regeneration. I blew through them. Most Time Lords would just be on their second by now, but I'm too fool-hardy. I run into everything head-first without thinking twice. I don't want you doing the same. How old are you now?"

"One year on Messaline," Jenny stated.

"So, about a year and a half on Earth," the Doctor muttered to himself. "Too young to throw it away."

Jenny nodded, seeing how broken her father was looking from the idea of her dying a second time. It might have even been a bit worse for him this time, seeing as he wasn't even there for her.

She found herself lost for words looking at him for guidance.

"So, another thing to put behind us then," the Doctor said, replacing his forlorn look with a wide grin. "How have you been?"

"Fine," Jenny stated. She wanted to tell him so much more, but there was so much. So much that they had both missed out on and would never get back. She forced levity into her voice as she moved from where she was kneeling and sat on the corner of his bed. "Did a lot of running."

The Doctor nodded. "I wouldn't have suspected much less."

They sat in silence for a long time, just staring at each other, the Doctor, not sure of what to say, and Jenny not sure of what to do. He had spent so much time running away and she had spent so much time trying to run to him. Their legs had finally grown tired of it all and they rested. 


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Rose was walking back over to the hospital again. She had changed her torn t-shirt, but had been in favor of keeping her own jeans and not switching into the khaki ones that Nala had brought over. Her arms were filled with a complete change of clothes for Jenny and the Doctor, who Nala had said could probably leave the hospital considering both their medical knowledge.

Mr. Anderson was safely resting on her shoulder; Rose having made her plea to Atali, that it would only be a minute for her to give Jenny and the Doctor their clothes. In truth, she probably could have waited to give them the articles, but the little Chubchuck seemed so forlorn without Jenny. She could tell that he was missing Jenny even though they had only been apart for about an hour.

The fact that he hadn't been allowed to enter the hospital was hurting him more than he had let on to Jenny. Rose had to admit that she had a high respect for the little fellow; he seemed more devoted to Jenny than one could expect. Rose didn't think that sort of thing could happen until their lives depended on one another, but maybe they did.

She looked at the furry red creature and stroked the top of his head, while he made noises of contentment. She smiled at him as he scooted onto her hands and sat there.

"Jenny with dad?" Anderson asked, his big eyes growing even wider with curiosity.

"Yes," Rose told him, when they reached the doors, and she paused outside. "They've been in there for about an hour now, and the doctors are going to let the Doctor out now, so they should be fine with us coming in."

"Oh," Anderson stated, as Rose opened the door and walked inside.

The Doctor was sitting up with Jenny leaning on the corner of the bed next to him, while Atali was kneeling down and finishing tying off a fresh set of bandages on his leg. She ran her hands down her pants as she stood up and smiled at the Doctor. He returned it as he flexed his leg testing its range of motion.

"Good news, Doctor, the infection has completely gone away. We did have to remove a large chunk of your skin and had to do some minor work on your muscles, but I think you'll be fine to rest somewhere a bit less crowded, if that's okay with you."

"Certainly," the Doctor replied cheerfully, glancing over and seeing Rose. He beckoned her over with a small wave of his hand. She dropped the clothes to the beds and began to close the distance between the two of them.

A feeling of yearning came over Rose, and she gathered the Time Lord into her arms. His hands cupped the back of her head and drew her closely to him. He breathed softly into her, as Mr. Anderson squeezed out from between them gasping and ran into Jenny's proffered hands. The two smiled at each other as Jenny backed away slightly and watched her father hold Rose.

She didn't know much about either of them really, but she decided then and there they were meant to be together. The way he held her, and the way she looked out for him, there was no way they could not be in love. They were just right.

"Sorry, I didn't hug you like this when I first woke up," the Doctor said softly, only half teasing as he drew away and stared at Rose.

"S'fine," Rose told him, and beamed at Jenny over her shoulder. "You had a lot on your mind."

A chuckle came to life from deep inside his chest as he watched Jenny gather her clothes to give Rose a chance to be alone with him.

"Are you feeling better?" Rose asked, putting her hand on his cheek and acting like she was checking for a fever instead of just longing to feel him beneath her fingers.

"Much," the Doctor replied, withdrawing her hand from his cheek and holding it in his hand as he got to his feet, wincing slightly as he put weight on his injured leg. "And, look at you, Rose Tyler, left to your own devices not only did you not wander off, but you found my daughter."

Rose laughed. "Learned from the best," she told him, nudging him in the ribs, before giving him his own clothes to change into. "Here, Jenny and I are in the VIP tent with you, I'm assuming you can find it right?"

The Doctor nodded and looked down at the clothes in his hands. He hadn't worn any form of uniform since he was on Gallifrey. He didn't know how he was supposed to take it.

"Yeah," the Doctor said distractedly, while Rose hugged him a final time.

"Stay out of trouble," she said, giving him a hard stare as he just laughed.

xXx

Rose was sitting on her cot, while Jenny sat on the other in the tent. They had not tackled the fact that there were only two, yet in favor of waiting for the Doctor to make the decision. Jenny had taken easily to the uniform and had slipped it on naturally. Rose couldn't help seeing how right Jenny seemed in the uniform. She was reigned in more with it on, but she still managed to have a buoyant quality about her.

Jenny was tapping her foot on the ground after she had repeatedly tied and retied her pony tail at the back of her hair, while Mr. Anderson slept soundlessly in a backpack Jenny had found in the almost empty footlocker.

"Dad said that you knew Jack," Jenny told her after a while.

"Yeah," Rose said with a smile. "He saved my life."

A fond expression passed over Jenny's face and she scooted over to sit next to Rose. Her blue eyes were filled with wonder as she stared at Rose pleadingly.

"Really, how?" Jenny asked.

Rose ran her hand through her hair and chuckled, thinking back to that night. It couldn't be said that they met under any kind of normal circumstances, but with the Doctor there were no normal meetings any more. It seemed like all the Doctor had to do was introduce himself and they were in trouble. Rose had brought the point up before when he still wore a leather jacket and had jokingly told him he should stop introducing himself as the Doctor.

That had been right before they met Jack, and Rose has taken it upon herself to introduce him before he could get the chance. Rose smiled; they had also spent the night watching the Doctor's prized collection of Star Trek videos. It really couldn't have gone any other way.

There were so many fond memories that she had tried to push away when she and the Doctor were no longer together. She was afraid a hurricane of emotions might overwhelm her and throw her into a pit of despair she could never escape. She missed the sensation of nostalgia that fluttered in her stomach like butterflies. In its place until this time had only been the dull ache of melancholy.

"The Doctor and I were in the middle of London during the Blitz, a major series of air-raids on London by the Germans, and I got separated from him…"

"Separated?" the Doctor suddenly appeared in the doorway of the tent favoring his better leg. "You, Rose Tyler wandered off, and reached new levels of jeopardy friendly. I still don't understand how you managed to grab a rope that just so happened to be attached to a barrage balloon. None of my other companions have ever managed that, and I highly doubt they would have tried."

He came in and sat down next to Rose, who punched him in the ribs before leaning on his fondly. He caught her around the middle as well and pulled her into a crushing hug, while Jenny watched admiringly. The word 'rude,' was murmured like a sigh, but Jenny couldn't tell if it was Rose or the Doctor who murmured the word. Even so, she knew it was more than a word between the two of them; it was a prayer and a promise, a promise to never change and to never slip between the cracks.

The Doctor took a deep breath before releasing her and letting her continue with her story.

"So, as I was saying before I was interrupted by a certain Time Lord," Rose teased as she looked over to Jenny. "So, I was hanging by my hands in the middle of the Blitz, and I start to fall when all of a sudden this man catches me in his tractor-beam and I was safe. Granted, he did hold me there until I turned off my mobile, which was just a hair more terrifying than hanging onto a massive balloon."

Jenny giggled. "But, you weren't falling."

"Yeah, but what do you think blends in more?" Rose asked, flashing a smile. "A barrage balloon or a great big beam of blue light?"

The Doctor cleared his throat. "I think a blue box blends in nicely which is where I should I have locked you up forever."

Rose ignored him and continued. "Anyway, he took me into his ship, a proper space ship with a cloaking device and everything and thruster engines."

The Doctor rolled his eyes and folded his arms against his chest and cut Rose off from her rambling.

"There was an underlying story to that with gas-mask zombies and nanogenes as well if you wanna hear that some time," the Doctor interjected.

Jenny nodded eagerly. "Yes, please, but not now though. Rose told me you would tell me what happened between the two of you, like how you met and all."

Rose agreed with a grin, and reached across and grabbed the Doctor's hand in hers, softly stroking his skin. He squeezed hers in return, but when she looked into his eyes there was a clear look of apprehension on his face. Her grip around his hand tightened slightly, while she drew circles into his manly, hairy hands.

Jenny watched with anticipation, but the look of slight terror on her father's face almost made her regret ever asking. He looked so drained while he mulled over how to best approach the question and explain everything to her. Rose on the other hand seemed to be ready to talk and she immediately took the Doctor's hand into her lap, and looked at him for the briefest of seconds. A million words could have passed between their gazes, but none of them needed to be said, except, maybe three.

"Where do you want us to start?" Rose asked Jenny.

"The beginning, please, first moments, first words, and first feelings, everything," Jenny listed hiding her nervous emotions to a science. Her blue eyes sparkled as they lit up the and her smile turned higher up.

The Doctor broke out of his somber mood and beamed at her; he saw himself in her eyes and every other inch of her. The fear that he had had about her being too much like him almost dissipated completely when he saw her now. She was happy, like he wanted to be. Donna had said that she would help him to heal; he knew now that she was right.

"I was investigating this living plastic thing, it complicated it's just sort of living and…" the Doctor trailed off, when Rose jumped in.

"Plastic. They were in the department store I worked at, as shop window dummies. I went down to the basement to give my boss, Wilson, the lottery money when they came after me, cornered me and were about to karate chop me or something," Rose said looking over at the Doctor who was rubbing his thumb over the skin of her hand. "I think you should tell the next part, Doctor."

He grinned and took his hand from her lap, and twisted it around so that he was holding her hand between them. He loved this part. He used to lie in his bed, not sleeping while Rose dozed in hers and drift back to those moments. Her soft hand and her long blonde hair falling back over her shoulders, and the look of trust that came over her immediately had been locked in his memory forever.

During the year that never was, he dreamed of her just like that, only instead of him grabbing her hand she was taking his. Her hand was wrapped around his wrinkled hand and smile. The word they shared was whispered and she made him young again with a kiss, awakening something deeper within him. A spark that he never thought existed, but he always awoke without a single trace of that sensation.

He relaxed fractionally, and swung their hands between them slightly.

"I took her hand," the Doctor whispered softly, squeezing her hand and continuing. "Looked in her eyes and said just one word, 'Run'."

"And, we've been running ever since," Rose said, looking at him. "Sometimes side by side, and other times..." Rose wiped a stray tear from her eyes. "Toward each other."

Jenny looked softly at them, seeing that they were no longer telling her what they had done, but were confiding in each other.

"Donna said you were always running," she said softly, not wanting to interrupt their moment, but not wanting to be left hanging either.

The Doctor nodded, turning his attention back to Jenny as he ran his hands through his hair.

"I was, yeah, but in a different way," the Doctor stated, looking at Rose and wondering if he should tell Jenny this with Rose still within earshot. "When I was with Rose, I was running with her. My hand laced with hers with both of us smiling. Sure, sometimes we ended up running for our lives, but there were others where we were just fine and we still ran. We looked like idiots of course, but that never mattered."

"Running down streets filled with people and fields of green with not a soul around but the two of us," Rose murmured.

He looked at Rose, who was still leaning on his shoulder and looking down at their hands. Her blonde hair fell around her face like a curtain and hiding the emotions that were probably clear on her face. Still, he knew she was feeling the exact same thing he was. Fear, curiosity, melancholy, and confusion, all of them were running over her hidden face and bubbling in his stomach. He could feel them running from her hand and into his.

"After I lost her… I gave up," the Doctor told her, honestly. "I was better because of Donna by the time you came along, but I was still so broken. I couldn't think straight half the time and I was daring. I wasn't out to get killed or anything, but part of me stopped caring. I wanted to run forever until I met Rose's arms again, but I couldn't. It didn't fit the rules I had made."

His rules, that was something familiar. He had said that right before he decided that there was nothing worth believing in besides Rose. He still believed in her, and nothing else.

He believed that he was there for him.

He believed that he as hers.

He believed she was one of the strongest women he had ever met.

He believed she was perfect.

He believed he would lose her.

He didn't believe in himself to keep it from happening.

He had had that wild idea that he was going to send her away with his brother, so that they could live together. He could have told her that the two of them could live the life he never could have, and that they could have a family. They could have been domestic. John had even acted like that was something he had seriously considered, but that dream had come crashing down when his single heart did.

The Doctor felt most of John's feelings. He had the same yearnings for Rose to be his, for them to be something more than just friends, but John was part Rose. He was more open, able to admit to his feelings. He was born fresh without the brokenness that the Doctor possessed. Rose put it right when she said that a second chance would be nice.

Even so, the Doctor knew that if he told them that it was so that Rose could have a normal life. He wanted to believe there wasn't someone's life that he hadn't utterly ruined. He wanted to believe that he had made her better like she had made him.

Sorrow filled Jenny's eyes, as she reached over and touched her father's knee comfortingly. "I'm sorry."

She could tell that she hurt him, as he eyes ghosted over, and grew darker by the minute. She needed to pull him out of it, but she couldn't fathom how. How could she help with something she was only just beginning to understand?

"S'fine, Jenny," Rose told her assailing her worries. She was already moving to the Doctor and wrapping her arms around him and rubbing his back, while he pulled away and wiped his hands over his face furiously and acted as if nothing at happened. "Doctor?"

He looked at her, not showing any emotions at all now, just staring. "Hmm?"

"Are you alright?" Rose asked, placing her hand on his shoulder but he drew away.

"Yeah, fine, just tired," the Doctor stated as he scooted over and stretched his legs over the cot, while Rose got to her feet and nodded.

"Alright then," Rose told him. "I'm just gonna take a walk, before bed, and…" Rose trailed off and started walking towards the door.

"Rose," Jenny stopped her, and took a hold of her shoulder.

Rose put on a smile that she hoped didn't look too tight and looked up at her.

"Yeah?"

"You want me to come with you?" Jenny asked, silently offering her companionship.

"No, that's fine, Jenny. Stay here with your father," Rose told her, while she ran her hands over her face. "Be back in a minute, Doctor."

The Doctor nodded silently and stared into space, only seeing the past.

Rose moved her hand up and down in a small wave; as she walked out and headed in a random direction within the camp. Jenny watched her go, wanting more than anything than to comfort her. Her father had been hurt yes, but he had in turn hurt Rose. Was he just too shy to love Rose? Jack hadn't been shy with her, but she had been apprehensive with him. Maybe she had inherited that from her father. That coupled with losing her under circumstances still foreign to her might have made him completely broken.

"Dad," Jenny started. "I think you need to talk to Rose."

"Maybe later," the Doctor stated in a noncommittal voice. He wiped at his eyes again, this time it was obvious that it was tears that he was trying to hide.

"She needs you," Jenny told him.

"She's fine."

"She's hurt," Jenny corrected. "Even I can see that. You were holding her hand, and she was leaning on you. Why did you push her away?"

With a shrug, the Doctor tried to turn away, but he once again felt the now-familiar burning sensation behind his eyes and rubbed at it furiously with his hands.

"I don't know," the Doctor lied, looking away from her. She knew him too well, just like Rose did.

"It hurts doesn't it? Knowing the life you could lead together is never going to happen? It hurts knowing that something terrible is going to end it all, and that you'll never see each other again. Or knowing that you can hold her forever?"

The Doctor looked up at her sharply, a question forming on his lips.

"You have to admit it, Dad," Jenny told him. "It makes it easier in the end, trust me."

The Time Lord's eyes narrowed and he ran his hands balled at his sides. Fury swept over him as he tried futilely to keep his tumultuous emotions in check. His brown eyes burned with rage as he stared at his own daughter.

What could she possibly be suggesting? That she had suffered too? That she knew even a fraction of the pain that he had felt? Maybe he was right, Time Lords _were_so much more. They had their shared suffering. They had their pain. Jenny knew nothing of that. She led her happy-go-lucky like, and moved on a whim.

"How can you of all people know, Jenny?" the Doctor seethed. "You've lived all of two years. You haven't seen anything. You know nothing of pain."

The Doctor's eyes turned almost black as he said the words. Part of him knew that he would regret them later, but a bigger part didn't care. He's hearts screamed as they exerted themselves in rage and his breathing intensified as if he had begun to run a mile.

No longer was he looking into the eyes of his daughter. He was seeing the face of every human on Earth and every other pathetic planet in the galaxy. The ones that had their simple lives, tragedy marked only by the illness or death of a few loved ones. They didn't know anything about this either, yet he saved them. Why did he bother? Why did he try to make the entire Universe better when all he ended up doing was hurt his own life? He deserved someone's help. He deserved their lives.

His fists balled tighter at his sides as he rose to his feet. He could feel his knuckles turning white and the flesh of his palms being cut into by his nails. He welcomed the pain the damage was bringing him. It invigorated him. Something tangible was causing this ache it wasn't something false and in his previously logical brain had contracted from his effeminate heart.

Jenny stayed calm when she answered him. "I watched my own father crying when he thought I was dying, and woke up to find I was alone. I travelled looking for him, and tried to dig up all the information on a society most people think are a legend or dangerous. Then on top of that I met someone I know I loved, and who loved me back in a stupid library's virtual reality world and ended up losing him and… and everything, and then I spent the rest of my time trying to find him and my father, all while wondering until today if I had made him up, just like… like…"

The Doctor watched Jenny's frantic speaking; his anger immediately evaporated through every pour in his body and left the room. Sobs came over her and suddenly his own thoughts had left him, and his attention was pointed in the direction of his daughter, who was beginning to shake like a leaf.

The Doctor stopped her, by trailing a hand down her arm and pulling her into a fatherly hug, the kind where a daughter thought that she could curl up infinitely small while her father folded on top of her protection her from all the evils in the world. Jenny fell into it, holding tightly to his shirt like the child she had never gotten the chance to be.

"I'm sorry, Jenny, I'm so so sorry," the Doctor told her honestly. "Who else did you lose?"

Jenny looked away, not wanting to pour salt on a wound, but she also knew that salt made the bleeding stop faster. It was for the better, she told herself and she took a deep breath.

"Our kids, that weren't are kids," Jenny stated, looking up to see her father's shocked expression that looked like a cross between fury and pain for her.

"What do you mean," the Doctor said, through slightly clenched teeth.

Jenny saw her father's sorrow become misdirected as anger towards Jack, and she couldn't let that happen. She loved them both, and she needed her father to have any hope of getting back to him after all this time. Forcing herself to smile, she moved closer to her father marginally and looked imploringly at him.

"It's not like that. The way time progressed in there, it seemed like we had been married for years, but I don't know how much time we actually spent locked away in there. Anyway, I remember everything from that time, me and Jack meeting at this hospital, and dating for a while. He was such a character, coming on to everyone we passed at first. I slapped him a couple times, but then he just stopped. He was there for me and I was there for him."

Jenny smiled and toed her boot on the ground, as her face flushed and she looked up at her father, still looking at her doubtfully.

"I remember everything we did, Dad," Jenny told him. "Everything. Him holding my hand and holding me, whenever something bad happened. When I told him he was going to be a father he swooped me into his arms and held me so tight."

The Doctor's gaze softened, as he listened intently to what Jenny was saying. Part of it was to listen to what his daughter had been up to, but a bigger half of him wanted to distract her from further questioning him.

xXx

_Jenny sat next to Jack, with her head leaning on his side. Her eyes were half lowered while she stared up at Jack drowsily. He was softly stroking the back of her long blond hair unfastened and flowing behind her. All the while, she listened to the rhythm of his single heart and her duel hearts beating as one, the song of their love, a song more real than anyone could take away._

_"Jack?" Jenny asked softly, opening her eyes wider and looking down at her protruding abdomen_

_"Hmm?" Jack murmured, not really focusing on her words, just her._

_"Are you scared?" Jenny asked quietly, not looking in his eyes, but instead straight ahead. Something wasn't right about this. It was going too fast, making her time sense off. She told Jack, and he was convinced it was the pregnancy, but in truth the gnawing at her gut had been around since she had first come into this world._

_"Terrified," Jack said sincerely with a laugh. "But, excited, and you should be too."_

_"Something's not right, Jack," Jenny murmured, turning and facing him. "Time isn't right, it's all mixed up and knotted. It's progressing too fast. I know you said it was just me, but it's not. It's… I don't know."_

_Jack held her closer, and flashed a winning smile._

_"You worry, just like your father. We're fine." Jack placed a gentle hand on her stomach. "Everyone's fine, Jen."_

_Jenny ignored him and continued on. "I really wish Dad were here. He'd know. He'd understand."_

_Jack took a deep breath and pulled the covers over her. The worry was clear on Jack's face, but he hid it well after he turned off the light and wrapped his arms around her. The fluttering feeling in her stomach ceased and was replaced by the much less unnerving sensation of their children moving beneath. He kissed her forehead and gently coaxed her into a sleepy state._

_"One day at a time, alright?" Jack asked, and she nodded against him. "We'll be fine, just fine."_

xXx

Jenny had moved, so that her chin rested on her knees which were drawn up to her chest. She was staring off into space, wishing more than anything for reasons she had yet to find out, that Rose were here as well. She would understand; Jenny knew she would.

"There were times, when I thought I would be pushed forward into the future, sometimes a few seconds, other times I would have to remember months at a time. I need Jack's help sometimes and other times he needed mine," Jenny explained further. "The important moments were all there, our wedding, the twin's birth, late nights when Jack came home with flowers, or anniversaries. But, those other days that you take for granted seemed to fall away. Like those lazy Saturdays or Wednesdays that you always think of as average. They just weren't there sometimes."

The Doctor nodded. "I was there. I fixed the data call, made it better. You must have been there with all the other people saved."

Jenny nodded. "Jack said it was something like that once we had finally worked it all out."

"When was that?"

xXx

_The breeze blew steadily down the path, as each Jenny and Jack carried a child down the path to the park. The young girl, Rose Marion Harkness, was holding tightly to her father. He had never told Jenny why he was so insistent on why he had wanted to name their daughter that, other than it had been the name of an old friend. Jenny knew Jack's secret and that he had thousands of years of dark memories to contend with, and she wasn't going to open that can of worms until he was ready. On the other hand, Jenny's arms were wrapped around and supporting the boy, Jack Doc Harkness, who was clinging to his mother fondly._

_Jack had once teased Jenny that their children must have take after her in their looks because the Doctor's DNA in her would never allow them to resemble the captain. In truth, however their children didn't really share any of their appearances._

_Jack had shrugged it off, but with Jenny's time sense feeling even more out of tune lately, he couldn't help but wonder if it meant something. Their eyes were blue yes, but not a cool blue like Jack's or Jenny's bright blue. They were muddled like they had been mixed with grey and green. Their fragile, featherlike hair grew in a dark brown color that was hued with red that neither Jack not Jenny could place._

_"Daddy?" Rose asked softly. "What are we gonna do at the park?"_

_Jack beamed at her, pushing his thoughts to the side and bouncing her in the air. "Whatever you want, Rosie, slides are fun though, and swings of course, can't forget them. Or the teeter-totter, that just sounds fun, doesn't it?"_

_Rose smiled wide, toothy grin that made Jake think of her namesake. After one more moment staring at his daughter he turned his attention to his son, and looked over at little Jack who beginning to wriggle from Jenny's arms and land lightly on his feet. He ran up to Jack and tugged his free arm over to the playground, while Jenny's laughter could be heard behind them._

_Once they had gotten the children set off on their ways, Jenny had settled into a bench next to him, while they watched their children tag a long together while the other children played as well. She stared blankly into the horizon, wondering how why the library's teleport had landed them here. She was stranded from her ship, and Jack's time vortex manipulator seemed to be beyond even her ability to repair._

_She longed to go back to the stars to show them to her kids. They had a history that she was only just learning and adding on to. Her children had to become a bigger part of that. They were amazing in themselves. The children of a progentated Time Lady and an Impossible Man, the worlds should have been running through their minds with endless wonder had they been able to reach all that. Yet, they seemed so average, not inquisitive like she had been when she had stepped out of the machine or how she imagined Jack must have been if he had travelled with her father. The right questions had to have been asked, Donna taught her that._

_"What are you thinking?" Jack asked, breaking her out of her thoughts, wrapping her arms around her shoulders and pulling her closely. His fingers curiously felt the side of her ribs through her shirt._

_"Nothing," Jenny said staring off and looking at their children again. They really were precious and she wouldn't change them for anything, but there was still something peculiar about it._

_Jack didn't take her simple answer and pressed further, turning so he was facing her completely. "The daughter of the Oncoming Storm has nothing on her mind? I beg to differ. I know her a bit better."_

_"Oh really?" Jenny taunted._

_"Yes, really," Jack said moving in to tickle her ribs, but she swatted his hands away. His eyes softened when he saw her true emotions running across her face. He placed a hand on either side of his face and kissed her softly. She didn't respond, but she didn't push away either. "Tell me. Please, Jenny?"_

_His disarming smile and bright blue eyes wouldn't allow her not to answer him. She trusted him too much to let him think she didn't. They were his kids too, and he deserved to know what she thought, but something told her he already knew. She had seen him standing outside their bedroom, staring at them. A smile would be on his face, but tears in his eyes. It took her a lot of coaxing just to get him to move from the spot and into bed._

_"The kids," Jenny said vaguely. "I'm worried about them."_

_Jack frowned glancing over to them and seeing the way they played excitedly. They couldn't be sick could they? Jenny would tell him, surely._

_"What about them?" Jack was clearly worried as he took his wife's hand in his and stared at the creations they made from their love._

_Jenny shrugged. "They're fine, it's just. They're so normal."_

_Jack smiled and laughed, brushing a lock of blonde hair from her eyes. "I know what you mean, never expected them to look and act just like any other kid."_

_Jenny stared at him for a second, seeing the sorrow forming in his eyes as he realized something and she did as well. They didn't just act the same as other kids. They were the same; all the children were the same._

_Jenny knew that she was seeing something that should have been forbidden. She was seeing something that should awaken her to what she should be trying to do, but instead she screamed and gathered the kids she knew were hers into both her arms and started running home, finding her there in a flash, with Jack taking little Jack from her loaded arms, so she could shift the weight of Rose into both her arms._

_The pain on Jack's face was evident, but he put on a smile for their children–for however long they would last–and led them over to the couch. Jack held his daughter tightly, not letting go, willing her into existence, while Jenny did the same with their son. She couldn't let them go. He couldn't let them go. They would hold them both for forever if that's what it took._

_"Jen," Jack said, forcing a lilt into his voice as he pulled little Jack into his lap with Rose. "I think some hot chocolate would be nice for them, right about now. What do you think?"_

_Jenny gave a watery grin and nodded. "Of course," she said, pressing a kiss in both of her children's foreheads before hugging her husband around the neck._

_He whispered tenderly in her ear. "They're real, Jenny. Trust me, as real as you and me. As long as we believe, understand? No doubt. You were there. I was there when they were born."_

_A pitiful laugh came from her mouth. "I broke your hand."_

_Jack gave her a silly smile, before shooing her off and gripping his children soothingly. His strong arms turning even tenderer than Jenny thought possible as she took a final glance at them before stepping thought the door to the kitchen._

_When Jenny came back, she dropped the cups of hot chocolate causing them to shattering on the ground. She ran and gathered Jack in her arms, while he stared blankly at the empty space between them._

_"They're gone," Jack whispered. His hands opened and closed without meeting anything. He bit his lip and held Jenny, while she broke into sobs. "They're gone."_

_He didn't cry, that was the part that scared Jenny the most. He wanted to see his emotions, to help him heal, so that she could heal as well._

_"Jack," Jenny tried, gently lifting his chin and forcing him to meet her eyes. She tried to wipe away her tears, but they kept flowing._

_"They're gone, Jen, just gone, after all that… just gone," Jack whispered in a too calm voice._

_"I know," Jenny told him, a broken sob surfacing from her chest._

_"Yeah," Jack said._

_"Now what?" Jenny asked, lost, looking around her and trying to think of something. They couldn't stay broken forever, they had to heal, and they had to move on. They had to get better._

_"We… we move on," Jack said, getting to his feet and holding out his hand for her. "We stay strong, for them. Whether they were real or not we were still their parents. We remember."_

_Jenny nodded, and leaned against him. Her face buried in her chest. She would remember, she would never forget. She would remember little Jack and Rose. She would remember every scraped knee, late night feeding or funny quirk._

_"We remember," Jenny repeated._

_Jack nodded. "Forever."_

xXx

Rose walked with her hands shoved deep in her pockets. Some flickering  
>lights glowed around the camp, but for the most part it seemed completely empty. The feeling of loneliness began to eat away at her stomach as she pressed on, not looking back to the tent that the Doctor and Jenny were it. She tried to ignore that the lights had not turned off and the last thing the Time Lord was doing was sleeping.<p>

Why did he keep pushing her away? If anyone wanted to help him work through his pain it was her. She had been the cause of a good piece of it for as long as the Doctor had been separated from her.

He had called her every term of endearment that she could think of, brilliant, fantastic, molto-bene, but never the one word that she wanted to hear above them all. _His._She had never wanted to be anyone's girl before, never, until she then one daft alien that swept her off her feet.

He was everything to her.

But, she wasn't everything to him.

She loved him.

He wouldn't even reply.

He was hers.

He wouldn't take her.

Rose rubbed her eyes furiously and squeezed hot tears through her lashes, forcing negative thoughts out of her mind.

"He likes me," Rose whispered. "He needs me, and I need him."

He was broken, and she would fix him. He had lost his brother, found his daughter and had just come out of a plot to cause complete eradication of every living species in the universe besides his most loathed enemy.

She ran her hands through her hair and thought about turning back around to see if the Doctor was ready to talk, but a sound suddenly came to her attention.

She stopped stock still before she picked up her pace again, faster than before. Something wasn't right. There was a soft rustling that picked up every time she started walking, but whenever she stopped so did it.

She reached into her pocket and found a pack of the Doctor's Promethean Everlasting matches. She had kept them in the pocket of her jeans back when they travelled together. It had seemed that every other trip they ended up living in a dank cave with no other source of light or heat.

She struck the match easily with the lemony smell filling her nostrils and illuminating her path as she walked to the edge of the forest.

Her heart pounded fearfully in her chest as reached her hand out tentatively. Inch by inch she reached up to a branch, while murmuring 'I'm going back, I'm going back,' over and over again. As she pulled back the branch, she drew a deep, sharp breath and squeezed her eyes shut, expecting to have something jump out at her.

Slowly, the lack of claws leaving gnashes in her flesh became evident, and Rose calmed herself down long enough to open her eyes. Seeing nothing but forest in front of her, she was about to turn around from the forest and tell the Doctor that she thought something wasn't right. However, a soft whining noise filled her ears. It wasn't the same rustle that had caught her eats before this one was desperate, and childlike. It sounded almost as if it was in pain.

Without thinking, Rose followed the noise. It didn't take long to follow the shrill noise that was becoming more and more evident.

Eventually, she reached the area that the noise was permeating from. Slowly, she walked up to the bush and pulled them away. A small human child was curled up there, desperately crying out, as Rose scooped him into her arms. He was shrouded in a blue blanket and sitting in a basket almost as if he was waiting for her to pick him up.

Gently, Rose rubbed his back and held him closely, soothing his cries to a soft whimper.

"Hey, now," Rose whispered. "You're alright, aren't you?" The little boy stared owlishly at her, while she offered him a laugh. "Come on then, I bet you're hungry right?"

As confirmation, the little boy wrapped his hand around Rose's shirt and pulled on it sharply.

She smiled at the little bundle, but froze dead in her tracks as the sound of a gun cocked, and something cool and metallic pressed into the back of her head.


	8. Chapter 7

Some time during her reminiscing, Jenny had become wrapped in her father's arms, while tears flowed down her face. She was shaking while she tried to regain her composure. This wasn't how she was supposed to act, and she knew it. She was a Time Lady, that's what she found out a female Time Lord was called. She was stronger than this. She could live up to the proud history of her people, who were revered as the silent observers of the universe.

However, she couldn't stop. It hurt too much, the pressure of being one of the only two Time Lords in existence pressed down on her and made it worse. She needed to protect her father, stop him from doing something he would regret for the rest of his life.

She wrapped her arms around herself in a tight hug, while the Doctor enclosed her in his own, creating a cocoon against the rest of the world and all of the pain that she had let out onto him. She didn't want to be a Time Lady; she just wanted to be his daughter.

The Doctor smoothed a hand down the back of Jenny's hair and began to rub circles into her back. He thought about anything he could tell her, but he couldn't. How could he console her? He had lost everything, yes, but never had to face whether or not he had imagined everything he had loved.

She opened her mouth and let a strangled sob come out from her lips, while she muttered something into his chest.

"Shh," the Doctor cooed, while he pulled her even tighter to him. He pressed a kiss into the top of her head and used the pad of his thumb to gently wipe away the tears that stained his face, but they were quickly replaced by fresh ones.

"Don't you see, Dad?" Jenny asked in a choked whisper, broken and rough from crying. "Don't you see?"

Shaking his head, the Doctor looked into Jenny's blue eyes imploringly. "What do you mean, Jenny?"

Jenny bit her lip, trying to regain her composure enough to speak. He had to know, but how would she tell him? Would he listen? How could she make him listen, if he didn't? She looked down at her feet for inspiration, but only felt more disparagement washing over her.

"Tell me, Jenny," her father said gently, but instead of lifting her head and making her look at him, he just knelt down lower and tilted his head into her vision. He cupped her cheek and gave her a small smile, which got him a watery one in return. "Trust me."

It wasn't a question of her trusting him; it was a question of him trusting her, of him understanding enough to really listen to her, despite what he would perceive as naiveté.

"Before you were the last, what were you?" Jenny asked quietly, letting her eyes look into his father's brown eyes, piercing them. He remained stubborn, not saying a word. Her eyes shifted from his burning eyes to his jaw. It flexed with bridled fury, part of her knew she should be afraid to know what lay behind that fury, but a bigger part didn't care.

It wasn't fair. She had him back now. Why couldn't they have had a happy, carefree reunion? The one she always imagined? The one where she ran into his arms and he held her, while she laughed? Of course, she dreamed of that reunion while she was wrapped in Jack's arms.

"Dad," Jenny prompted.

"I don- I can't," the Doctor stuttered out, trying to gather his spiraling thoughts.

"Please, Dad," Jenny practically begged.

A proper response didn't leave his lips that time, words didn't even come forward, and he just looked away.

"Dad, please tell me."

He still ignored her, and bent over to tighten the laces of his converse sneakers repeatedly.

Jenny shook her head and held him hard by the shoulders, changing their roles in an instance. He didn't try to wriggle out of Jenny's grip; instead he just stared, trying to take in the image of his daughter in front of him. She had grown up. He saw that now. She wasn't the same girl he left, but she was still a girl none the less. She might have seen more than she thought was possible, lost more than she ever hoped to gain, but that didn't mean she knew him. No one knew him. No one knew his suffering.

"Jenny, this isn't about me. It's about you and Jack. I really don't see where this is going," the Doctor said finally, while he took another step back from his daughter.

"It has everything to do with you," Jenny replied boldly. "You were someone other than the last of the Time Lords once, you had to have been. Just like I was the Generated Anomaly before I was Jenny Anderson and how I was different person before I met Jack. It's a cycle. I was left behind, you were left behind. I met someone that made me feel special. You met someone who knew you were special. I lost my someone, and you lost yours. What's the difference between the two of us?"

Mutely, the Doctor stared straight in front of him. He wouldn't answer. He couldn't answer. He couldn't embrace the fact.

"You've gotten your someone back," Jenny answered for him, pulling her hair out of its tie and running her fingers through it in frustration, sending it cascading down her back. "I know what it's like to lose someone you love. I do, honestly, and I'm not going to let the same pain that I'm going through right now happen to you, and I'm not going you let your pain return. Rose loves you. The question is do you care enough to love her back."

Jenny said the words with such resolution; the Doctor was silent for a long moment before he finally found the biting words to answer her with.

"I… I think she's brilliant, and unique and fantastic. I think she's everything," the Doctor said hotly, his voice taking a dangerous low turn.

"Have you told her that?" Jenny asked undaunted, by his declaration. "Really told her? Taken her hand, looked into her eyes and said that you loved her? Have you hugged her until you both felt like you were one person? Have you kissed her just because you could?"

"I… no," the Doctor said softly, letting his head drop and shoulders sag. The fire from his eyes faded the fight from his voice dissolving. He looked utterly wounded.

"Why not?" Jenny asked, letting her voice turn soft again.

"I ran out of time," he muttered, not daring to look in Jenny's eyes.

She reached out and touched his shoulder, but it was the ghost of a motion she had made before. It was motion she never wanted to make again without there being a chance of there being someone to catch in her hands.

The image of Jack being pulled away from her into that blinding white light, while she was pulled in the other direction filled her mind. She pushed it away quickly. It hurt too much sometimes.

"Then tell her now," Jenny whispered, getting off of the edge of the cot and placing her hand on either side of his face. "Don't waste a second, Dad. Hold her; tell her how you really feel."

"She's human. She ages. She withers." The Doctor's words were biting, self-loathing, but most of all they were laced in pain. He would lose Rose, yes. But, he would also see her suffering the effects of old-age, ill-health and injury, and all those other things that humans were so susceptible to.

"Then would you rather have no time with her at all?" Jenny asked.

"No," the Doctor answered right away. He didn't know what he would do if Rose hadn't come into his life. He would be so lost and so broken.

Jenny nodded encouragingly and smiled. "Then make the most of your Time. You're a Time Lord after all."

Eventually, the Doctor nodded and smiled back at her. "I will."

"Good," Jenny said, lying back on the bed and closing her eyes. "My job's done, then."

Scrutinizing her, the Doctor moved in and placed a gentle hand on her face and made her open her eyes again.

"Tired?" the Doctor asked.

Jenny nodded. "Got a bit of a headache as well, but no worse than the last time I did this. I'll be fine after I've got some sleep. I promise."

Nodding, the Doctor handed her his blanket and pulled it over her to cover her shoulders, seeing that she had given her covers to Mr. Anderson–whose snores were still filling the small room, while he dozed.

"That's just a bit of regeneration sickness," he assured her, while he watched her bury herself deeper in the covers and close her eyes again. "I can smell the energy still leaking off of you. It'll make you drowsy that's for sure. You should be fine, although, the last time I regenerated I ended up in coma, so just in case keep me posted on how you're feeling, alright?"

"Yes, father," Jenny said sleepily, while she cracked one eye open and smiled dazedly. "Good night, Dad."

Something in the Doctor's hearts awakened at the way she said it, like a little stitch in left heart. Not a big stitch, a little one, but small stitches were the first step to sealing the biggest of holes. Maybe Donna was right, she was going to make him better.

"Good night, Jenny, and thank you–for showing your ol' Dad a thing or two, eh?"

"Yeah, Dad."

"And, Jenny?"

"Hmm?"

"I was a bit of a rebel," the Doctor admitted. "You get it honestly."

A smile ghosted across Jenny's face, but she was already drifting towards sleep. The Doctor pressed a kiss into Jenny's forehead and picked up his brown trench coat from the side of the cot, where Rose must have left it for him and stepped out of the tent and into the night.

~o~

Herman walked deeper in the encampment towards home. It wasn't all a military base around here, despite what it might look on the perimeter, where all the defensive measures were taken. The first act of this little community wasn't to defend, it was to live. Whole families came down from other planets that were becoming over crowed and moving to others. With the advancements made in terraforming these days, anything seemed possible.

He couldn't quite believe it in all truth, changing new worlds to make them habitable. He still thought it was surreal–gorgeous–but surreal. It was downright amazing, but someone always had to complain, and it just had to be the Saigans. They thought they knew best for the survival of the cosmos, but none of their attempts ever ended well.

If anyone had ever bothered to take–or even ask for–his opinion, they would have seen that the Saigans were bad news all the way around from the start. Trying to preserve nothing for future generations instead of letting future generations spread out and prosper. It didn't make any sense to Herman, but then, not much did. He knew his job and he knew his duty, but that was where he drew the line. He stopped trying to understand a long time ago. He found out that you just went mad with confusion and when the confusion passed, anger took its place. Too bad no one asked for his opinion.

There had to be a point to it all though. If humans weren't meant to spread across the stars, what were they supposed to do? Die? Not the human race. Not his people. He thought that even the Saigans should understand that, but again he was wrong.

Then there was that new man and his wife and newly reunited daughter that showed up out of no-where. What were they even there for?

They never really said and Herman knew that should scare him, but it didn't. They seemed trustworthy. He would put his own life and the life of his wife and children in that man's hands without a second thought.

Herman thought it was his eyes, or maybe it was just his face in general, or even his personality. Any man who jokes while his body is being ravished by an unknown force is either crazy, tougher than nails, or cares too much to let someone worry about him. .

The way that he let his wife support him while just enough to make her feel needed, but not hanging on her to the point that she worried that he was in deep trouble was evidence of just how much he cared. He was tuned into his wife better than he'd seen with any other couple. It was like they shared a common bond, a common need, and even a common mind. He loved her, and she loved him. That was clear from the moment that he first laid eyes on the couple, while accompanied by his own wife, Nala.

They didn't like to make a fuss of introducing themselves as husband and wife, mostly because they were working on the same base and liked to keep up a professional atmosphere, but also because that just wasn't them. They always thought it would be clear to anyone around them that they were in love–that their body language would show any stranger. Nala had told him once, that she had always imagined the man that she knew loved her back just as much as she loved him would have this look in his eyes that told her everything she needed to know about him. She called it a spark that let her see their future together. Herman was the only man she ever admitted to seeing that spark in.

A smile crossed his lips, once he reached their little home that they had planned and set up once they moved into the compound. It was cozy and small, but plenty big enough for the two of them and their two children.

It was no small understatement to say that neither Herman nor Nala liked the idea of raising Jet and Kevin where they were never sure what the outcome of the next attack would be. However, like all the other parents who brought their kids to the base, there was no more turning back now. It was a gamble here, but so was any other place they could have decided to live.

Stepping through the doors, Herman expected to see Nala sitting up with baby Kevin in her arms and Jet somewhere nearby. Instead, he only saw Jet, with his nose buried in a book with his legs crossed, and his glasses sliding down his nose.

"Hey, Dad," he said distractedly, while he turned the page and continued reading. He bit his lip as if something on the page angered or worried him. "Mum's gone on a walk to see if she can get Kevin to calm down."

Herman nodded, feeling a bit relieved. Kevin had been fussy with his teething lately and both of them were desperate to find some way to ease him.

"Did she say when she was coming back?" He asked his son.

Jet shook his head, looking over the top of the book and at his father.

"She seemed pretty frustrated," Jet stated.

"Mhm," Herman concurred. "She act like she wanted me to join her?"

"Nope, she said, quote, 'if he tries to follow me tell him under no circumstances is he to do so, because he'll just end up waking up Kevin after I've gotten him to sleep,'" Jet replied coolly, before closing his book and taking off his glasses. "I think she sent a pretty clear signal."

Herman laughed at his twelve year old son. "Yeah, you could say that." He ruffled the boy's hair and took his book from him while he sat down next to him. "You should be in bed."

"I know," Jet said, getting to his feet, and walking away. "I'm going."

"Good night," Herman said teasingly.

~o~

The Doctor couldn't understand how hard it was to find a Rose. Of course she was always wandering off, but it never got this complicated. Plus, he was clever. He should have her in his arms by now. They should be laughing. He should have been finally telling her how he really felt.

While he walked, he kept thinking of the best way to tell her. He could play coy and just slip it into a conversation and see if she noticed. He could go for the human approach, take her hands and fold them in his before dropping to his knees and telling her that he loves her–granted at first that might send her mixed signals.

But, something in his heart told him he shouldn't even be planning it. He should just take her hand, lead her out to somewhere private, under the stars and just let the words come. That felt right, but he didn't want to get it wrong. He didn't want her to deny him. He knew the idea of her denying his love was absurd, but he couldn't help thinking it. He'd deserve it after how he acted, after the countless times he pushed her away.

Why had it taken him so long to see that?

He should have known. All the memories came rushing into his brain now. When she wrapped him in a hug, when she had her face stolen and the word she was repeating over and over again was his name. He should have known when she was prepared to tear down whole universes to find him again. He should have known by the way that she kept running toward him even after he was hit by the Dalek instead of running away.

He should have known because she was Rose… his Rose.

Sighing, he put his rambling thoughts out of his mind and turned back to the job at hand.

He considered checking the other tents in the area, but Rose didn't know any of the people around here, and it was unlikely that even she would have wandered into one of them at night.

Worry was beginning to eat away at the inside of his stomach and burn in his chest. What if she wasn't just out for a stroll? What if something terrible really did happen to her? After all, this wasn't exactly the best neighborhood. He shoved his hands deeply into his pockets and fished around for his sonic screwdriver.

"It's got to be in here somewhere," he muttered, while he tugged out a conker, two yoyo's, a banana (half rotted), and a super ball. Finally, he found it and extracted it from his pocket. After adjusting the settings, he held it out in front of him and began turning in a slow circle. After he had made three full revolutions, he stopped and held up the sonic screwdriver to his ear.

"That's odd," he muttered to himself and he repeated the cycle.

Holding it up to his ear again, he frowned even deeper and hit the device against his palm. It couldn't be working. It had to be wrong.

He tried new settings and rotating at different speeds, trying to amplify the settings, but everything ended in the same crushing answer.

"Rose is gone." The Doctor said, having to stop himself from dropping to his knees in despair.

~o~

_Jenny was Rose Tyler. She felt Rose Tyler. She knew Rose Tyler better than any other person in the world. Her memories were merging with the human and becoming hers and it hurt. Her mind was screaming for her to release her from the assault. She wanted to run to escape from Rose Tyler, but she couldn't._

_She was forced to blend her emotions with Rose's; it got to the point that she wasn't even sure whose fear was whose. Part of her wanted to defend her mind with the rudimentary psychic training that Jack had given her, but something deeper told her not to. She was meant to hear this. She needed to hear this._

_She was hurting so much, the feeling of rejection swelled through her. She wanted to know where she went wrong. Why didn't he love her? Why did she have to love him? Why couldn't she just leave him like all his other companions? Why did she have to throw her heart into every person she met?_

_It wasn't fair._

_All she had to do was run away, it was easy right?_

_So easy._

_Too easy._

_She liked a challenge. Maybe that was the core of it. She needed to feel needed. She needed to feel like she was making a difference, and whether or not the Doctor loved her back didn't matter as much as loving him did. She could make a difference. There were a lot of people in this universe that deserved love, but the Doctor deserved it the most._

_Jenny tried to call out with her own thoughts. He did love her. He was broken. He was rude. And, he was stupid, but he loved her more than anything in all the galaxies. She screamed it in her head, but all she met was an unyielding wall, where emotions flowed out, but nothing could get in._

_Of course, Jenny thought to herself, Rose wasn't trained, just like she hadn't. When Jack had taught her, the first lesson was to keep thoughts out and as many of yours in that you could. A simple wall like this was enough to handle simple anxieties, but pain like this just flooded over the edges._

_Placing her hand on the smooth surface, Jenny tried to coax her way into the barrier to comfort Rose, but it was unyielding. Immediately, she knew that Rose couldn't have erected this barrier herself. It was the work of someone who knew what they were doing. It must have been her father._

_Jenny knew there was no chance of her breaking through a barrier that her father had erected, so instead she slid down with her back to the barrier and listened intently. Her entire mental form relaxed and in turn she heard Rose's thoughts more clearly and images filled her mind along with a noise she couldn't place._

_Jenny focused harder, drawing all her energy into trying to become Rose Tyler, all while keeping her presence soft and unobtrusive._

_She saw a match struck and the soft scent of lemons filled Jenny's nostrils. The dark images in her mind's eye of Rose's eyes became clearer, as the soft sound she heard before became obvious. It was a baby's cries._

_Jenny felt her hearts clench with worry as she reached out in front of her and tried to touch what Rose was reaching for. She could feel the branches beneath the other woman's fingers as she drew back the foliage to see the baby lying there nestled in a blanket. The pressure in Rose's arms became the familiar pressure in Jenny's arms. She instinctively wanted to comfort the crying infant and was thankful that Rose had the same thought as she gently rocked the baby back and forth, comforting him with soft words and coos._

_A smile stretched over Jenny's face. She missed this, even if the first time wasn't real and if this time she wasn't even the one holding the child._

_Anxiety washed over Rose as a crunching met her ears, and she turned around quickly. He was about to cry out and ask who was there, but the feeling of a gun being pushed into the back of her head silenced her. She swallowed thickly._

_Jenny's hand reached up and touched the back of her own head. She rubbed the coolness there, ensuring that it wasn't her own body that was being threatened._

_Eventually, Rose found her voice. "Who… who are you?" Rose asked._

_"That's not important, what's important is who you are," the voice rasped lowly._


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

One of the dark figures surrounding Rose tore the child from her arms despite her protestations and futile attempts to hold the crying infant. These men were using the child for bait, and she couldn't let that happen. How many more people would they lure towards them with his pitiful screams? There were far more lives at stake here than hers and the child's and the people who were formulating this obviously knew it and were taking it to their advantage. Rose reached out for the child, clawing against the man restraining her, but the man behind her only pressed the unforgiving metal of the gun's barrel further into her head. She ceased, when the pressure at the base of her skull turned painful and she felt the grip the man had around her left arm begin to draw blood to the surface.

"Hold still," the man grated.

Anger bubbled up from within her, as she saw one of the figures who was holding the child begin to walk away from her.

"No!" Rose shouted and tried to run again. This time the man let her arm go, so she got two steps off before he cocked his gun audibly in the nearly silent forest. She stopped in her tracks and turned back around to face the shadowy figure of the man.

"I wouldn't if I were you," he said lowly. A silent promise was hidden in those words, telling Rose that whatever she decided to try would have massive repercussions on her life.

She stared at him for a moment, the only part of his visage that was visible were bright amber eyes, which seemed to reflect every ounce of light back at her, along with hate and pure evil. They were far from being human; Rose would even go so far as to say they were far from being alive. No creature no matter how brutal could ever hold that much hate within themselves. It would drive anyone mad.

That's what made these creatures so dangerous, Rose decided. The Doctor had told her once that the Daleks were the most dangerous when they were desperate, when they had no sense of self preservation anymore and they couldn't even find it in their cold metal casing to even like themselves.

If Daleks had true eyes, Rose knew this would be what they looked like.

There were only five pairs of the glowing amber eyes surrounding Rose. Her first instinct of running having been knocked away, Rose turned to trying to talk her way out of this. The eyes all stared at her as she swallowed hard, wishing she could see their faces to judge their reactions.

"What are you gonna do to him?" Rose asked, gathering her up her remaining confidence and forcing it into her tone of voice.

"The child is unnecessary," the figure holding Rose replied. "He will be returned to his family. You on the other hand are necessary, and will be taken to the Saigan camp." He gave her a sharp jab in the back. "Move."

"Wait," Rose said, stopping them and digging her heels in slightly as the man tried to push her again.

Briefly, she closed her eyes and focused on how to carry this out. She just had to drag this out a bit longer so she could think. She could play the clueless card, so that they might think of her as less of a threat, leave her unguarded, and then she could run. Or, maybe, if she waited long enough, the Doctor would find her. He was out there looking for her right now and she knew it. She just needed to buy him the time.

"What?" the voice snapped while he reaffirmed his grip on her shoulder.

"Why are you taking me?" Rose asked, rocking back and forth on her feet slightly.

"Saigans do not answer human questions," the man shot back. There was a hint of smugness to his tone, while Rose watched his amber eyes narrow in the darkness. She knew he could see her perfectly well in the dim light, so she kept her face passive.

"Oh come on. Who am I gonna tell?" Rose challenged with a haphazard shrug. "I'm here guarded, by who I'm assuming are your best soldiers. And, it's been made awfully clear that if I make to escape you'll shot me dead, right?"

Rose placed her palm against her chin and rapped them against her teeth, pretending to be deep in thought.

"Yes," he replied in a cold voice, and a brief flare of white caught Rose's eye as he flashed his teeth in a sneer.

"Then what's to lose? I'm human you said so yourself. Surely little ol' me isn't a threat to a big scary Saragan," Rose said with an air of contempt.

"Saigan," he grated.

"Right, sorry," Rose apologized with an insincere lilt. "So, you gonna tell me or what? Cause let me let you onto a little something about humans." Rose's voice dropped to become dangerously low. "We don't take very kindly to our questions being ignored. Just ask my friend."

"Your friend the 'Doctor'?" the figure asked, cutting off whatever she was going to say next.

Rose didn't hesitate. "Who?" Rose asked. "I don't know any doctors around here. My friend's name is John Tyler. He's a doctor, but he's certainly not called doctor. What sort of fool has that for name? If you ask me, then I'd say the biggest threat from a man who calls himself that is accidentally getting stabbed by his safety scissors."

"You liar," the man spat.

Rose stopped herself from biting her lip.

"I honestly have no idea what or who you're talking about," Rose said boldly.

"You do," He said with steadfast conviction, as he took Rose around by the shoulders and slammed her against the nearest tree.

Rose remained stubbornly silent, as the man released his grip, and she leaned against the tree coolly and brushed herself off. She took a bunch of her hair at the back of her head and began gathering them into a ponytail before letting them fall down her shoulders, in a bored motion.

"You know what you're problem is?" Rose asked, picking at her nails before looking at the Saigan.

"Do tell," the man replied snidely.

"You haven't got any idea what you're dealing with," Rose stated as-a-matter-of-factly. "You've spent your whole life fighting humans, but you haven't learned anything from them."

The man gave a hardy laugh.

"Humans are such loyal creatures," the man said, as he moved in closer to whisper harshly in her face. "That's you're species greatest downfall."

It was Rose's turn to laugh.

"I'd say it was our biggest strength," Rose shot back. "It might be a downfall for you, considering nothing ever breaks that loyal bond."

"Silence," the man shot back, clearly trying to regain some form of control over the situation.

"What's this Doctor man to you anyway?" Rose asked, ignoring the man. "Surely you Saigans have plenty of quality physicians in your mix. There shouldn't be any need for you to steal a substandard human."

"The Doctor is the greatest enemy of the Saigans," the leader said, taking Rose roughly by her shoulders again and pushing her in the direction of a vehicle's outline. "He's not human, and he must be stopped."

"What does that have to do with me?" Rose asked, refusing to move.

"You will lure him here. Once he discovers what is happening to you he will give himself up immediately to our custody and be sentenced to death for his crimes."

"Yeah, well, too bad, because if you think that this man is going to give up his life for mine you're wrong, because I doubt he's gonna save someone he doesn't know," Rose proclaimed, while two Saigans stepped forward and pushed her roughly into the back of the van with their combined strength.

She slouched against the metal siding of the van and crossed her arms defiantly.

"You can lay off the act, Ms. Tyler," the man said, while he stepped into the light of the back of the van, exposing his grotesque raccoon face, and curling fingers as he leaned against the side of the van doors. "We saw you walking with him, the way you hung on him and then how you let him hand on you. We laid all the traps for the Doctor to fall right into our grip and he has set off every single one of them. We don't miss. We could have killed your precious Doctor with one shot, but we chose to make him realize the pain that this will cause you and lead him to a more formal form of execution."

Rose bit her lip consciously this time, knowing that the charade was up. She wrung her hands repeatedly together while she tried to maintain her superior demeanor.

Another Saigan, stockier than the one that Rose decided must have been the leader but with less bulk than the two that shoved her in the van, showed up in the light holding out a needle. He sneered at Rose, but didn't say a word as he reached out, grabbed her arm and plunged the needle into her bicep before she could protest. The pain was immediate, spreading from the injection sight and sending waves of pain down her arm and to her fingers like a wasp's sting.

A question formed on Rose's lips, and the lead Saigan anticipated it.

"That was filled with the same chemical the bullet that shot the Doctor was laced with," the leader explained as the other withdrew. "He'll come running for his precious love."

"What did he do to you?" Rose asked, rubbing furiously at her arm, trying to get the pins and needle sensation to stop and the pain to subside.

"He destroyed out home world," the leader said, while Rose listened to the other Saigans pile into the front of the van and rev the engine. "He did it out of a selfish attempt to end a war that we didn't even participate in. He killed countless numbers of my people, innocent women and children falling by his hand."

"He must have meant well," Rose nearly shouted. "He was trying to save the rest of the universe. He was trying to stop the Daleks."

"I thought you didn't know him?" the man sneered, as he pushed Rose roughly and she nearly tumbled backwards. A hateful smile spread across his lips. "Feeling a bit woozy?

Rose shook her head from side to side defiantly, but she knew it was true. "'M fine," she mumbled trying to catch her breath as an unseen weight began to bear down on her chest.

"We'll see," the Saigan said, as he shut the doors to the van and left Rose alone in the darkness to slowly slip into unconsciousness and dream about her Doctor.

~o~

The Doctor slowly made another lap around the camp, keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of Rose. Thoughts circled his brain frantically, trying to compile some logical reason as to where Rose might be.

"Rose!" He shouted for umpteenth time this night. "Rose! Are you out there?"

He listened intently for her reply, but there wasn't one. He thought about praying to some unknown deity to guide him to his Rose, but he knew it was fruitless as the only deity worth believing in was Rose. He ran another failed scan with the sonic screwdriver, before shoving it back into his pocket with more force than was necessary.

He kept telling himself five more minutes, five more feet, five more steps, five more shouts and she would be there, but even he was beginning to lose hope. He needed to hear her voice so desperately that there was a physical pain beginning to eat its way through his chest.

Rose needed him, that's all he needed to know to keep searching. He wouldn't stop, not for anyone.

A soft moan from the distance met his ears and the Doctor immediately filled to the brim with hoe as he sprinted in its direction. His sneakers kicked up dirt behind him, as he pressed on.

"Rose," he shouted again, and the moan came to his ears again. "Speak up!"

The moan was louder this time, as he ran faster into the brush and pulled some branches aside, once he had finally determined the voice was coming from behind a bush. He knelt down and brushed the branches aside only to find an injured woman with auburn hair and olive skin.

The Doctor squeezed his eyes shut and forced himself to focus on the woman, as knelt down and turned her over to see her face.

"Nala," the Doctor whispered gently in recognition. "Nala, look at me."

"K-Kevin," Nala stuttered. "Where's Kevin?"

She reached out blindly trying to feel for the baby that wasn't there. The Doctor caught her hands and held them firmly at her sides. Images of Rose being in the same position briefly passed through his mind's eye, but he pushed them away fiercely.

"Who's Kevin," the Doctor asked her softly, while he helped her to her feet so that she was leaning against him, with her right arm around his neck.

"My son," Nala whimpered tearfully. "I was t-taking him for a walk, and I-I don't remember…"

Nala trailed off in sobs, as the Doctor steadied her quickly when she almost fell over. He took more of her weight by wrapping his arm around her waist and holding her so that she leaned against his hip.

"It'll be fine," the Doctor assured her. "Let me take you to Herman, okay?"

Nala shook her head. "I need to find Kevin." Her words seemed to grow more desperate as time passed and he tried to soothe her.

"Let me get you somewhere safe first, okay?" the Doctor asked, scooping her into his arms, after she almost fell forwards again.

Nala nodded reluctantly after she had been put in a position which she knew she couldn't argue from. He shifted her in his arms slightly and held her against his chest, inadvertently pressing her face against his chest and muffling her words as she tried to speak.

"What?" the Doctor whispered, as he began walking deeper into camp.

"I said, 'Rose is lucky to have you'," Nala repeated, more clearly this time.

The Doctor didn't reply, just sighed and kept walking, knowing that he was truly the lucky one.

~o~

Herman held his youngest son in his arms while he bounced him up and down, trying to get him to calm down without Nala there. The boy had seemingly appeared outside the door of his home, wrapped in a blanket and lying in a basket. While relieved to have his son back, Herman couldn't stop the pang of worry that ate away at his gut.

Nala would never abandon either of their children unless she was either forced to or she thought that it was the only way to save their lives. The thoughts that he had previously about having regrets about living here were beginning to move in on him again. He tried to keep himself from abandoning their two children in the questionable safety of the tent so that he could find Nala.

"Where's Mummy, eh Kevin?" Herman asked in a sing-song voice, but the true disparity within the words leaked out from under the tones. "Eh?"

He shook his head when the child stared blankly at him and whimpered while he pulled handfuls of his father's shirt into his tiny fists. Herman cupped his son's head against his chest with the back of his hand and whispered nonsense to him, as he made another lap around the tent.

A knock at the door, stopped him in his tracks as he rushed over to the door, praying it was Nala.

It was.

She hung limply in the Doctor's arms while he ran rushed past him without a word and laid Nala down on a cot across from where Jet lay stirring. Herman immediately adjusted Kevin's placement so that he was resting in just one of his arms , while he approached his wife.

"John, what?" Herman stuttered out.

"I don't know," the Doctor told him honestly, while he moved aside for Herman to wrap his arms around his shaking wife and kiss her cheek.

"Hello," Nala whispered, reaching past Herman and touching their son. "He's fine?"

"Yep," Herman said softly, while he cupped her cheek. "He's perfect."

He gave a strained smile in Nala's direction and kissed his son's forehead before placing him gently in a bassinet next to the cot that Nala rested on.

Herman sat down on the floor, took her hand and brushed his thumb over her knuckles in a constant fluid motion, while she tried to reorient herself. The Doctor was seeing to a gash that had become visible once he had pushed her thick locks of hair away from her face. The area was swelling considerably, as the Doctor pulled a handkerchief from his jacket pocket and pressed it into her forehead gently.

"What happened to you, Nala?" the Doctor asked lowly.

"I-I dunno it was dark and… I just don't know," Nala explained quietly.

"But, don't you remember anything?" the Doctor asked with a bit more bite to his voice.

"John, I hardly think this is the time," Herman protested.

"Oh, it is the time," the Doctor told him steadfastly. "Someone took Rose, and I need all the information I can get."

Herman looked sympathetically from the Doctor to his wife.

"But…" Herman started, but he was cut off.

"He's right," Nala said, perking up. "John, I didn't see anyone, but I'm sure it was the Saigans. It had to be. I remember sort of… they were talking about taking, Rose. I didn't think they did it. I thought she must be safe with you."

"She should be," the Doctor muttered, before stepping towards the door of the tent.

"Where are you going?" Herman asked.

"To get my Rose," he replied fiercely.

~o~

Waking with a start, Jenny shot bolt upright with a cry, waking Mr. Anderson in the process. He screeched and clambered out from under the covers in the backpack before falling backward on his stumpy tail. Jenny helped the worried creature into her lap, while she stroked his head back and forth while she tried to process what had happened.

"Jenny scared?" Mr. Anderson asked.

"A bit, yeah," Jenny said airily with a forced smile.

"Why, Jenny?" Mr. Anderson asked, running his paws over his sleep weary eyes.

Jenny got to her feet and looked around on the floor of the small tent.

"Call it a bad dream," Jenny replied, as she tugged on her boots and started out the door, with Mr. Anderson and the backpack in her hands.

"Where Rose and Jenny's Dad?" Mr. Anderson asked, looking around, when Jenny stepped out the door.

"Dad's looking for Rose, and Rose is in trouble," Jenny replied. She took Mr. Anderson and gently slipped him into the backpack, still filled with the blankets that Rose had placed there a few hours previously. He leaned out over the edge staring at his surroundings with wide and curious eyes."Sorry, Anderson, but I'm gonna need both my hands for this."

"Anderson okay," he replied simply.

"Thanks," Jenny replied to him, while she reached back and stroked his head instinctively.

He made a soft purring noise, before slipping beneath the backpack and zipping himself in and drifting back to sleep. Jenny didn't need any distractions at the moment, but he would be there for her when she needed him most.

Jenny caught sight of her father approaching hurriedly from the center of the compound. His face was screwed up in anger as Jenny got her first glimpse of the Oncoming Storm that usually resided below his cheerful surface. His sonic screwdriver was clutched in his hands with a vice grip until his knuckles turned white.

"Dad!" Jenny shouted, running up to her father and catching his shoulders. "It's Rose she's in trouble…"

"I know, I know," the Doctor said angrily, waving Jenny aside and walking towards the General's tent. "I'm gonna find her though."

Jenny heard the conviction in her father's voice while he tried to push past her, but she gripped his shoulders, forcing him into a stop. Her blue eyes burned in the dim light of the compound under the stars were reflected back at her through his brown ones.

"Wait, Dad," Jenny begged in a frantic voice. "I felt her in my mind. She was taken by these shadowy figures, and she was afraid. I don't know exactly. It was hazy, but there was this child to, she thought he was being used as bait."

The Doctor was peering intently at Jenny now, listening to her every word and running what she said over repeatedly in her head. He just stared for a few minutes before he nodded.

"That must have been Kevin, he was separated from Nala, so they wanted Rose to take Kevin as bait, but why?" the Doctor asked himself, while he started circling Jenny.

"Does it matter?" Jenny asked. "We know where to go now. It's obvious that they took her to their camp. We just have to go there and get her back."

Jenny started to sprint away, but this time it was the Doctor who was holding her in place.

"We need to get transport and directions," the Doctor told her. Jenny had grounded him and was forcing him to reevaluate his lack of a plan and begin to think one through. His hands ran frantically through his hair while se paced in a circle around Jenny, calling out random words in both English and Gallifrean.

"Well then get a map and I'll get a jeep," Jenny replied shortly, while she shook herself free of the Doctor's grasp and started running towards the motor-pool.

"Jenny," the Doctor called after her again, his eyes suddenly laden with emotions, not only for his lost Rose, but with worry for his daughter.

She stopped and looked at him with an aggravated look.

"We're wasting time," Jenny shouted.

"Just, be careful," the Doctor said, taking her shoulders and looking deeply into her eyes. "Neither of us knows what's out there."

"Rose is out there," Jenny replied, "that's all I need to know."

The Doctor couldn't help but give her a weak smile in response to her commitment towards his companion. He waved her off after a second and found himself once again sprinting to the general's office, where a light still shone.

~o~

_Rose was finally escaping, running faster than she had ever run before as she pounded her way through the dense vegetation and kept her eyes peeled for the Doctor. The sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon as Rose pressed on. She instinctively knew where the Doctor must be, she felt it in every inch of her body, as she surged forward._

_ Her heart beat frantically in her chest, as she pushed herself harder, forcing her burning lungs and aching extremities to fight beyond what even she thought were possible for herself. _

_ Her mind thought back to her Doctor, his face, his essence, his every lineament filled her mind's eye, as she continued to race through the forest. She saw his face everywhere, floating like a ghostly image on the ground or in the treetops. _

_ She cried out his name, but each time she did so the image she had started to chase vanished. She screamed as the Doctor's images disappeared completely, but then reappeared all around her. Every single one of them sneered at her, their faces elongating, their perfect smiles gaining teeth with points and their big brown eyes turned amber as she watched her love turn into her latest fear. _

_ The images of the Saigans, however, were even more fleeting than the images of the Doctor as they morphed into colors which bled and swirled around her vision, like spilling water on a painting that had not had proper time to dry. _

_ The ground seemed to come out of nowhere as she landed face first in the dirt and felt blood drip from her nose. A whimper escaped from the base of her throat as she rolled over and tried to focus on the flurry of images circling her. _

_ "Doctor," she whispered trying to regain her hope in the only man left believing in. "Help me, Doctor."_

_ Those words were the only ones the Doctor could never turn down, especially with Rose and she knew it. She smiled when he was suddenly standing there in front of her. His brown suit, billowing brown coat and everything else that made him the Doctor was all laid out in front of him. _

_ "Hello, Rose Tyler," he said softly, as he stepped through the last of the ruined colors. She reached out and touched her cheek, while he bent over her and smiled. "I'm here now. I'm here."_

_ "Help me, Doctor, please. I'm so scared. Help me," Rose pleaded with him, but he silenced her with a soft kiss. _

_ "You're fine, Rose Tyler," the Doctor assured her, while he gathered her into his arms and held her tightly._

_ "Doctor," Rose muttered, gathering him more closely to her. "I thought I'd never see you again."_

_ He grunted a pained reply and caused Rose to pull away with worry. "Doctor?"_

_ She looked down at her front side and saw it stained with blood and then up at the Doctor to see a gaping wound trickling blood down his front. Color drained from both their faces as the Doctor fell forward into Rose's arms. She held his head in hers, while he looked at her with soulful brown eyes. _

_ "Rose, I…" His sentence was cut off as a spasm of pain went through him and threw him into a coughing fit._

_ "Shh, relax Doctor," Rose coaxed him. "You're gonna be just fine, yeah? Shiver and Shake remember? Just you and me. We've got all that to look forward to."_

_ "Rose, I…" He tried for the words again, but still found then vacating him, as he gasped for more air and tried to get a grip on whatever he could to stay alive. _

_ "I know, Doctor," Rose whispered against him, while he fought to keep his eyes from slipping closed. "I know."_

_ "Lo-"_

_ "Hush now," Rose whispered._

_ He complied this time, but not by choice. Rose saw the life drain from his eyes, leaving them cloudy and soulless. She held him tightly and sobbed, rocking him backing forth willing him to come back to life—to come back to her. _

_ "No, my Doctor," Rose yelled, her screams being muffled by his suit. "Not my Doctor."_

~o~

Her heart pounded in her chest, while she recovered from the dream. She tried to assure herself that the Doctor was fine, that whatever she dreamed wasn't real, it was just the affects of what they had injected into her arm. The Doctor was safe; he wasn't here, so she was fine.

She groaned as she tried to get the heaviness in her limbs and eyelids. She tried to lift her arm to rub the sleep from her eyes, but instead it just fell limply over her forehead and slipped back down to the ground. A distant shuffling met her ears and a hand encased itself around hers.

For a split second, she imagined it was the Doctor's offering her comfort, but she knew it wasn't. The hand was worn down, and though her brain told her it was impossible, it was somehow older than the Doctor's as well. She tried to pull it from the person's grip, but they were unyielding, as another hand went to her face and tried to coax her awake.

Slowly, Rose finally found it in herself to come through as the familiar voice of a man she couldn't place yet rang through her ears.

"Hello, Rosie," it said, while the fingers stroked her cheek.

Rose tried to say something to the effect of 'Rose not Rosie,' but instead the words surfaced as a mumbled protestation, that she knew no one would have been able to make out.

The voice still tried to silence her though.

"Hush," it whispered again. "Don't try to talk just yet, just open your eyes, okay, Rose Tyler."

Rose ignored the voice and shook her head from side to side, her eyes staying stubbornly shut.

"Who are you," Rose rasped, finding her voice at last.

"Rose Tyler, I'm hurt," the voice said in an admonishing tone. "After all that time and you can't remember your best friend?"

"Mickey?" Rose mumbled, knowing it wasn't, but she liked the way the voice sounded when he got worked up.

"Nope not Mickey Mouse," the voice said, turning to a teasing tone. "Would you like another guess?"

The hand was moving from her cheek to her temple now as she tried to lift her head up and open her eyes again. The man whispered encouragement again and she finally opened her eyes, looking blankly at the man beaming at her, before her own face broke into a grin and caught the man in a hug.

"Jack?" She breathed, as he pulled her up and had her sit up against the wall.

"In the flesh," he agreed with a charismatic smile.

~o~


	10. Chapter 9

The air of the holding cell was stale and biting cold, giving it a distinct clinical impression. The floors were covered in a soft padding, which Jack assumed was meant to double as a surface to sleep on once he took in the lack of a bed in the area. He crossed his legs over on another leaned back against the wall, with his arms crossed over his chest and looked over to Rose.

She had fallen asleep shortly after he had managed to get her to respond to him. She was clearly disoriented from the same chemical they had tried to use on him the day before. He remembered the sting of the drugs entering his system, but after that they had a limited effect on him. He assumed it was another pay off from his immortality. Unfortunately, it left him with no way of knowing what to expect would happen to Rose after the injection had taken its full effect on her.

She was shivering, Jack noticed, while he shrugged off his coat and draped it over her. It was plenty long enough to cover her from her feet to the top of her shoulders, while she curled up into its warmth. Jack smiled at the sight of her, as she pulled the coat around her clumsily and scrunched her nose up at being disturbed from her slumber.

Part of Jack was happy the Doctor wasn't here to see this sight. He was certain that Time Lord wouldn't want him doting on Rose and staring at her, even if it was just to care for her in a way that was purely between friends. A nearly silent chuckle formed at the base of Jack's chest and his grin widened. He was already in far more trouble with him if the readings he had made were right.

"Wha' s'funny? Rose slurred, opening her eyes and looking at Jack blearily.

"Thinkin' of what the Doc's gonna do to me when he gets here," Jack told her with a grin. However, his cheerful demeanor turned compassionate, as he leaned forward and looked into Rose's eyes with concern in his. "How are you feeling?"

Rose shrugged, leaning back against the wall and pretending to go back to sleep.

"Rose?" Jack prompted sternly.

"I know how the Doctor must've felt," Rose said, trying to avoid the question.

"Meaning?" Jack said with a raise of his eyebrow.

"When we first got here," she replied, rubbing her eyes and continuing on, "he got shot in the leg. He's fine now—heals fast he does. But, it made him really ill for a few hours. If our captors can be believed, then they've injected me with the same cocktail that the bullet that shot the Doctor was laced with."

Grimacing, Rose pulled down Jack's coat and pushed up the tan sleeve of the shirt that she had received from Atali.

Jack's eyes grew wide, as he reached his hand reached over to the damaged flesh. He paused short of touching her and looked up at Rose expectantly. When she nodded, he gently pressed his fingers into the blemished surface. The area was red and peeling around the area of injection, which was steadily growing from what must have been a pinprick sized puncture to a wound the size Jack's thumb.

The area was hot under Jack's finger and Rose winced slightly as he probed the area a bit more intently. He let up slightly and wished more than anything that the Saigans hadn't taken all his belongings, surely the little that he kept in his pockets would have been able to do something to help Rose with the pain she was going through.

"The head doctor over there." Rose continued not noticing that Jack was no longer paying attention and was instead examining her. "She… She said she didn't really know what was going on with it. I think they were starting to run tests on it, but I dunno if they're really worried. 'Cause the Doctor got better s'fast."

Nodding distractedly, Jack touched her forehead gently and felt Rose's fever. "You're burning up."

"The Doctor was too," she confirmed, while she tried to pull Jack's coat back around her, but Jack pulled it back.

"No so fast, Rose," Jack protested.

"S'cold," Rose mumbled, shooting an angry glare in Jack's direction.

"You're hot," Jack told her.

"Now is not the time, C-Captain Jack Harkness," Rose said with a cheeky grin and taking the coat back from him and pulling it around himself. Unfortunately, she caught Jack's worried gaze and knew that he was right. She pulled the coat pack off of her shoulders, handed the garment back and rubbed her arms. "S'itchy anyway."

Jack gave her a winning smile and pushed the article to the far side of the cell, and moved next to Rose. He leaned his back against the side of the wall Rose was sitting on and put his arm around her.

"That's the spirit," Jack interjected with levity.

Rose gave him a smile and hugged him back. "How've you been?"

"How much time you got?" Jack asked with a chuckle. "It's been a long time since I've seen the two of you. How long's it been for you?"

"A few days since the stars were going out," Rose replied apologetically. "Sorry."

Jack gave her a shrug and brought his arm back to his side and crossed his arms. "It's not your fault. Besides, you're not the only one with time travel now," Jack said with a flourish as he extended his wrist and showed it to Rose. "I met a pretty girl who showed me how to fix it."

A laugh filled the air, and Rose looked up a Jack.

"That girl Jenny?" Rose asked, closing her eyes and leaning against Jack's shoulder.

Jack raised an eyebrow at her. "How'd you know?"

"Met her. She's here. Well, not here, but you know this planet. She's with the Doctor. He knows 'bout you and her, by the way," Rose told him, opening her eyes and giving him a Cheshire cat grin. "She talked about you rather adoringly."

"Well, I do have that affect on people," Jack teased, while he leaned back and tried not to focus on Rose's labored breathing or how pale she was growing. He felt her shivering next to him as her body desperately tried to get warmer despite the fever that was running rampant through her system. "Get some rest, Rose."

He tried to sound stern, endearing, and a bit swift as he said it, but the anxiety in his voice over took any other emotion that he had tried to portray. He couldn't stomach seeing Rose Tyler in the condition she was in—he didn't think any real man ever could. Right next to him was one of the strongest women he had ever known, and she was failing right in front of his eyes. He had come to know something of the Doctor's pain after living for several millennia and watching everyone he had known and loved die.

He was more than familiar with the fist that liked to tighten around his heart while it tried desperately to finally decide that it did in fact wish to keep beating. And, he was never far from those matches that liked to light a fire behind his eyes and make sure that his tears never ran out, even when he was certain that they must have by now. The thing that he didn't understand was that it never got any easier. The only change was that every now and then he met someone whose pain threw him back just a bit harder, so that he ended up lying flat on his back—drowning with them.

Too bad he always survived the drowning.

Rose was strong, and Jack knew it, but she wasn't indestructible. He was the only man in the universe that fit that description. She continued to smile. That cheeky smile that she used to throw to the Doctor when he was least expecting it, that made them both go a bit weak at the knees—the one where just the tip of her tongue poked out from between her teeth framed by her pink lips.

"I've been resting since I got here," Rose complained, breaking him out of his thoughts. "B-besides, I'm lying down aren't I?"

Jack gave her a half-hearted grin and shook his head in disapproval. He couldn't resist her, not with those teeth and that tongue, or those big _Rose_eyes that couldn't be described as any other color.

"Tell me about something," Rose asked in a voice that would have been and should have been demanding, but was lacking its usual zeal.

"What?"

"Anything," Rose said, leaning further back into the wall and sinking down further so that her legs splayed out in front of her.

"You've gotta give me more than that, Rose," Jack teased.

"Oh, I dunno," Rose murmured, rubbing her eyes and yawning. "Jenny, I just met her and I was hoping to get to know her better before all this happened. Tell me about her."

Rose lowered her eyes half way and turned to face Jack, while he stared off. She could see the ghosted look on his face while he paused, drawing out his time while he thought of what to say. He was so much like the Doctor, but he was still so different. Jack hid how he felt with more humorous emotions, but the Doctor hid them by talking around them and acting like they never happened.

"She's the Doctor's daughter," Jack started staring off and looking around him again, as if trying to see something that wasn't there. "It's funny ya know? Met her in biggest library in the Universe."

"Captain Jack Harkness in a library," Rose teased with a laugh.

"I wasn't there on purpose," Jack defended. "I just sort of ended up there… naked."

Rose rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I don't want to know, Jack. I just don't."

"Lost the taste for my stories?" Jack asked, trying to keep the conversation moving.

"No, just think that maybe you might wanna wait 'til you and Jenny are y'know back together before you delve _that_deeply into how you met. I was thinking more of what you're doing here and why you're still looking for Jenny."

"She was nice. I wanted to know if she wasn't all in my imagination. She… She was…" Jack trailed off and looked lost for a moment. "You know how I can't die, right?"

"Yeah, but the Doctor wouldn't tell me why," Rose said with a small growl. "What happened to you, Jack?"

"Imagine it, Rose," Jack said, carefully dodging her question, while he ran his hands through his short hair and let it fall back into place. "Living through all that and never having anyone constant by your side. I never had anyone. Everyone was mortal. And, when I met Jenny I thought I was in for another broken heart, but then she told me she was a Time Lady and regenerated but didn't change. I just I thought all my prayers were answered. She wouldn't live forever, but she would live longer than most."

Jack thought back. It seemed so greedy when he thought about it now. He fell for someone who he could love the longest. Back when he was mortal, he was a one night stand in most cases, and it felt right then. It was strange that after he became immortal those relationships seemed the least appealing to him. That's not to say he didn't try—one could say he was trying to recapture his youth, but something still didn't feel the same.

"She was amazing too though," Jack continued. "Not just because I might be able to hold her a bit longer, but she was smart and funny and so much like the Doctor, but a bit like me as well."

"I noticed she was a bit of a flirt," Rose said with a small laugh, "didn't act on it as much as you though, Jack."

"She was a bit shy," Jack said, running his hand up and down his neck. "But, she was only one when we first met."

"Some might call that cradle-robbing," Rose teased, finally seeming to succumb to sleep once more, but she held on. Her thoughts latched on to Jack's voice and tried to stay conscious. She was afraid to fall asleep. She didn't want to dream again, and she didn't want to not wake up.

"Some might call it that, but it was in the fifty-first century," Jack joked, remembering what the Doctor had called him.

Rose's forehead scrunched up and at first Jack thought she was in pain, but she pushed away his hands and opened her mouth to speak. She mumbled something incoherent, but it was clear that she was slipping down on the wall. Jack nodded, looking at her intently and helping her to lie down a bit further on the padded floor, taking his discarded jacket and bringing it under her head. Rose didn't protest this time as she turned on her side and clutched at her stomach.

"Jack," Rose whimpered.

"I'm here," Jack assured her, taking her hand, knowing that the man she really wanted was the Doctor. How did they get separated in the first place?

"The Doctor," Rose mumbled softly, while she swallowed thickly. "He thinks I'm mad at him. I don't know what he thinks about me exactly, but don't let him… don't let him think that. Tell him for me, okay?"

Jack gave her a serious look. "Tell him when you see him."

"Promise, Jack."

"Rose…"

"Promise," Rose spat, forcing her eyes open and staring at Jack's not letting his gaze turn away until hers did, while she curled around herself tighter. "Please." The last word was weaker, slipping, falling. She was giving up.

"Yes, ma'am," Jack said in a genuine tone. "But, only if you fight for him, Rose Tyler. He needs you."

Rose suddenly looked a bit more peaceful, while she sucked in slow, deep breaths.

"He won't be alone," Rose told him with soft conviction. "He'll have you and Jenny."

"He still needs you," Jack nearly shouted, while he watched as Rose closed her eyes. "Don't say goodbye."

Rose opened her eyes again obediently. "I'm not. I just need to know that you'll look after him. He needs more than he lets on."

Jack nodded. "I know."

"I'm gonna go to sleep now," Rose told him gently, reaching over and giving her friend's hand a squeeze. "But, I'm just resting. It's not goodbye."

Jack nodded, giving her hand a final squeeze while she fell asleep.

~o~

The Doctor leaned forward on General Tent's desk, seething.

"General, I'm begging you, please. I need the map. Rose is out there!" The Doctor shouted while he gestured wildly with his arm towards the door of the cramped space. "She's out there alone, and she's my responsibility, and she needs me."

General Tents crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair in a relaxed position. "I'm sorry Doctor, there can be no moving of troops or vehicles towards an enemy base at night unless authorized head quarters."

"But, you're a General, can't you just… you know, break SOP and let me. I'm not even taking any of your troops out there. Just one vehicle and my daughter, that's all."

"I'm sorry Doctor, but if you go out there and something happens to you and Jenny, forget about regulations I'll never be able to live with myself."

The Doctor took a step back from the desk. His eyes were a blaze of passion and fury. "What about Rose then? Hmm?"

"I'll organize a rescue mission for the morning, with the proper planning and…"

"While Rose is out there dying," the Doctor cut him off and leaned on the desk, while the General stared right back.

"You don't know that," he said defiantly.

"You don't know that she isn't," the Doctor shot back. "Because, I've seen a lot of this universe in my time and if there's one thing I've seen a lot of its grief. We've both had more than our fair share of pain, haven't we, General?"

For the first time since the Doctor had walked through the door, General Tents avoided his eyes.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Who did you lose?" the Doctor asked, his posture loosening slightly, but his eyes were still filled with burning fury.

"My wife," the General admitted. "She was a nurse, stationed in the front lines. I was deployed somewhere else for the time being. It was ten years ago."

"I lost Rose once," the Doctor told him. "We both know what that feels like and what's worse is that after I got her back. I hurt her. I hurt her in the worst way possible, because I was selfish and I didn't want that pain again. Don't let me lose her again. 'Cause, I will go without the map and I happen to know Jenny is good with engines and could hotwire a jeep, so it's your choice General. You gonna give me those maps?"

The General paused for a moment. The Doctor was serious and wasn't going to give up. Both men knew that. Without another word, the General opened the top cabinet of his desk with a key and slid the map in the Doctor's direction and dropped keys to a jeep on top of them.

"Good luck," the General said finally, while the Doctor took up the map and ran towards the door. "And, Doctor?'

The Doctor didn't pause, but he did slow slightly, while he put his hand on the door knob and looked in the General's direction. His Time Lord keenness took in every inch of the General's appearance in seconds.

"Take this." The General tossed what appeared to be a blue tooth earpiece in his direction. "If you need anything, just call. We'll do everything we can from here."

The Doctor caught the device with an easy move of his hand and nodded. "Thank you."

~o~

Jenny pulled bounced on her heels in the middle of the motor pool, waiting for her father to show up. She looked down at Mr. Anderson who was sat up in her hands and looking at her anxiously.

"Anderson hot wire?" he asked.

"Not just yet," Jenny said, beginning to pace in a wide circled. "Give Dad another minute to find those maps. We need them if we're gonna get there faster."

"Rose need us," Anderson protested.

"I know," Jenny quipped angrily and immediately regretted it. "I'm sorry; just it's been a long day."

"Anderson know," Anderson sympathized. "Jenny and Jenny's Dad get Rose. Then Jenny be happy."

Jenny plastered a smile on her face for Anderson and stroked her fingers against his scalp, while she waited. She hopped onto the hood of the jeep and brought her boots up to rest on the bumper and leaned forward while she stared at the General's tent. She was sure that her father must be arguing with the man and trying to secure the maps.

Finally, after five more agonizing minutes, Jenny saw the Doctor exiting the general's tent and running towards her with a map in one hand and his fist balled around another object Jenny couldn't distinguish.

He cleared threw keys in her direction, and she caught them with ease, while she unlocked the door to the passenger side and opened the driver's side for the Doctor to get in. He didn't say a word as he started the engine and started to drive out of the compound with the map opened in front of him and resting on the steering wheel.

"I see you convinced the general to give up the maps then," Jenny said nervously, while she gently slid the map from her father's grip and began examining it carefully.

"It wasn't hard," the Doctor said dismissively, while he pulled out the communication device and handed it to Jenny, and reached in his pocket and extracted his sonic screwdriver and thrust that into Jenny's hands as well. "Here, that's a communication device, from the general, but I don't think it'll last all the way out to where we're going—it's going to be at least a five hour drive."

Jenny nodded, but she kept looking at the map.

"Okay," Jenny said. "Hey, Dad, turn on the dirt road up here, it looks like a straighter path and it should shave about an hour or so off."

"Thanks, Jenny," the Doctor said, as he turned off and looked over to at her as she began to fiddle with the sonic screwdriver and the communication device. "Don't you want some help with that? I'm clever you know."

"I know," Jenny said quietly, as she continued with her work, lighting up the small device with the sonic screwdriver and pressing the button. "Testing, testing, this is Jenny and the Doctor, please reply."

"Jenny, we can hear you fine," the sound of Atali's voice came over the communication device. "Are you alright?"

"We're both fine," Jenny replied. "Should probably keep this communication closed as much as possible though. Thanks Atali."

"No problem," and with that, the communication device went silent.

"It works," Jenny told him, while the Doctor stared at her, and she went back to her map.

"I can see that," the Doctor muttered, while he looked out at the road and started to make a turn, but Jenny touched his shoulder.

"Not just yet Dad," Jenny said. "It looks like they've marked areas of high traffic for Saigan troops. Keep going forward past two more paths and then turn to the one on your left, after that it should be a fairly straight path for another two hours or so, then you'll turn right, and that should take you to the camp in about forty-five minutes and that should take you straight there."

Jenny pointed out in front of her while she spoke and motioned to a knob on the side of the steering wheel. "Turn off your light, Dad."

"Right, sorry," the Doctor said, flicking the switch off and slowing down for a second while his eyes adjusted to the change in light. "I'm a bit distracted."

"I understand," Jenny said, while she leaned forward and read the map in the darkness.

When Jenny had finally put away the map, she felt Mr. Anderson turning around in his backpack on the floor of the jeep by her foot. She smiled and brought her feet back a bit so that he would have a bit more room. She leaned her head against the side of the jeep, closed her eyes slowly and took a deep breath.

"Still tired?" the Doctor asked in a soft whisper.

"A bit," Jenny admitted. "It wasn't this bad last time."

The Doctor nodded sympathetically and leaned over and touched her forehead much to her annoyance.

"You've got a bit of a fever," the Doctor noted. "You okay? Really okay? It's not too late to turn back, okay? I'd only lose a few minutes."

Jenny shook her head. "Don't you dare. Rose needs us."

"Jenny, I…"

"No, Dad," Jenny said defiantly, while she pulled away and glared at him through the darkness. "I'm fine. Just tired."

Silence stretched out between the two of them for several long moments before the Doctor spoke up.

"I'm sorry, Jenny," he apologized looking in her direction and looking at her fondly. "I just… I don't know. Suppose I'm a pretty rubbish father then?"

He gave his daughter a wan smile, but she just looked at him in shock and stared for a moment before she reached across the bench seat they say in and caught him in an awkward hug. She pressed her face into his ribs under his arms, while he moved his arm closest to her to rest on her back. His other hand stayed on the steering wheel, trying to keep them on the winding path.

"Never, father," Jenny murmured. "Never that. You're brilliant. I'm gonna learn—I have learned—so much from you already. Besides, how many girls can say their dad fights off villains and rescues whole civilizations?"

She drew back after a moment of just holding onto him and stared up ahead of them again.

"Thanks, Jenny," the Doctor said and accelerated higher on the road as it straightened out. He took a deep breath, looking at Jenny, while she pulled out the map again and glanced around her at the sights, trying to make sense of them. She was so clever and bright and confident. She was everything he had hoped she would grow into after he had finally accepted her. He couldn't take any of that credit, though, like he had wanted to. He was so proud of his daughter for making it on her own, for making her own name, but there was something deep inside him that burned slightly at the loss that he had received. He had missed her growing into that woman. He should have been there to help her out, to guide her, but he wasn't. Sure, she was born smart and self sufficient, but that didn't take away her need or his desire for her to be taught about what goes around her.

"You still want to learn what it means to be a Time Lady?" the Doctor asked softly, looking at Jenny through pleading eyes.

He caught her completely off guard as she was returning the folded map into her backpack and taking Mr. Anderson in her hands and stroking him softly with her fingers. She found herself not staring at her father, but at Mr. Anderson, who was beaming at him with that cheeky grin of his. He nudged her in the stomach with a fur covered paw. Jenny shook her head in confusion, but she quickly recovered and nodded furiously.

"Yes, of course, Dad," Jenny said, staring at him with near bemusement. "Why do you think I spent all that time looking for you? Well, that's not the only reason, obviously. I really wanted to be with my father. I'm only one or something or rather. I need a father."

The Doctor grinned.

"Then as soon as we get out of here, I'm telling you everything you need to know about Gallifrey, and Time Lords and… the war," the Doctor bit out the last words, like they hurt, and Jenny knew they really did. "There really is a beautiful history to our people, Jenny, A history not many other cultures could beat."

"I'd like to hear about it."

"Better late than never, right?"

"Well, in a way, you're ahead of me," Jenny said. "It's technically a little under two hundred years since I was born on Messaline. Built a vortex manipulator, after I got to know Jack's in the Library's computer, even if it didn't work in there."

"You're just brilliant," the Doctor said with deep affection.

Jenny opened her mouth to reply, but she was cut off as she gasped in pain and let out a small scream.

"Jenny?"

She felt her father slowing the vehicle and stopping on the side of the road. She tried to yell at him to stop, but she couldn't find the words while she let out a mangled scream and clutched her head. It felt like her head was a blaze with pain as she reached out blindly in front of her and felt her father's hands clutching her arms and Mr. Anderson stroking her face.

"Jenny, talk to me," her father's voice cut through her reverie, and she tried desperately to comply.

"Hurts," Jenny whimpered, clamping her eyes shut as a blue light came in front of her face and made her ears ring.

"Tell me where," the Doctor encouraged, and the ringing filled her ears again.

"Evywere," Jenny mumbled, opening her eyes, only to find that everything had gone blurry while he father leaned over her. She couldn't make out his face, but she knew he was worried. Why was he worried? Why was she even here?

Jenny gave another small whimper as she gave into to the darkness, trying desperately to remember who she was.


	11. Chapter 10

Jack watched helplessly as Rose tossed and turned on the ground, whimpering incoherently. Every now and then he would hear Rose say what he thought was a word, but he couldn't be sure. Whatever it was she was really saying it sounded a lot like, 'Doctor." He was trying his best to calm her, in an attempt to try to make her get some real rest, but he couldn't. Every time he reached out to touch her, she gave a strangled scream and flung herself away from him erratically.

She was terrified of him, and it was eating him up inside. They were best friends, and so much more than that. They were like a brother and sister– a twin brother and sister. He would fight until the end of the universe to make sure she was safe, and Jack knew deep down that Rose would do the same thing for him. She had saved his life countless times in more ways than just making him immortal. She made him better, just like she did to the Doctor. Just like she did to everyone she had ever touched.

Sure, she would have denied it; she didn't think she was anything special. She thought that she was just an ordinary girl from the shops, from a time period and a planet that was so tiny and insignificant that the wonders of the universe that were out there.

Once again, he tried to touch her shoulder, and this time she didn't pull away, she just trembled under his touch.

It was the fever, and Jack knew it. Even without anything to measure it with, Jack knew it had gone far beyond what was even deemed safe for a human hours ago. Yet, she still shivered like she was freezing to death, while the color in her cheeks left her and she turned ghastly gray. Her body refused to sweat and help alleviate the fever, while she craved more warmth and tried to weakly wrap her arms around herself. Jack didn't want to admit it, but she looked like death.

His chest ached to make her well, while he reached down and placed a hand on her shoulder, while she tried to roll over onto her side.

"Easy now, Rose," Jack said gently, pressing both his hands down on her shoulders, while she weakly tried to resist him.

"Et ee oh," Rose mumbled incoherently and shivered harder.

Jack raised an eyebrow at her and gently stroked her face with his fingers, trying to coax her back awake, so that she might tell him some way of helping her. Her hair was soft under his touch while he brushed it out of her face caringly.

"Wanna run that past me again?" Jack asked, forcing levity into his voice and listening intently for Rose's reply.

He thought he knew what she had asked of him, but he didn't want it to be true. He didn't want her to reject him. The desire to make all of her pain go away was running rampant through his veins.

Suddenly anger washed over him, as he looked at Rose anew. She looked just as weak as before, but now when he saw it, he didn't just see a friend in need. He saw the men who had drugged him and dragged him in here. Rage over whelmed him as he bit tongue hard enough to draw blood and tried not to show his rage to her, who was already afraid enough. No one had the right to make Rose afraid. They wouldn't have been able to accomplish it had it not been for them taking the easy way out and using chemicals. It was the way of cowards.

Jack shook his head at himself. He couldn't think about that now. He had to focus on Rose. He knelt down a bit farther and tightened his grip a bit around her arms again.

"Let me go," Rose said, pausing between each word to catch a breath.

Jack eased up and let Rose go. As soon as he let go of her shoulders, she visibly relaxed and almost subconsciously moved herself as far away from him as possible. She kept moving until she met the wall and slumped against it, breathing deeply. She drew herself up with the palms of her hand and forced her eyes open.

"W-who are you," Rose asked, breathlessly, while she pulled her hair back with her hands and got a good look at her cellmate. "What have you done to me?"

Jack looked taken aback and tried to reach out to her, but pulled back when she pulled away with fear in her eyes. Rose Tyler didn't remember him. It felt like getting slapped in the face or punched or both at the same time. There wasn't a glimmer of trust in her eyes, while she stared back at him clearly trying to fight it. She didn't want to trust him, she wanted to hate him. If she hated him for doing this to her then everything would make sense. It was like putting a face to a crime.

Jack had never seen that in Rose before. Even when they first met she was suspicious, but there was still that little something about the way she looked at him that said that she believed in him. Granted, it might have been because he saved her life and healed her hands. How was he going to do that again with nothing?

She kept creeping closer to the locked door, inch by inch, but she never took her eyes off of him. One of her hands went to the door and she reached up and tried to move the door knob. When she found it locked, she became more frantic screaming to herself while she tried desperately to get it open.

"Come on," she shouted, through gritted teeth. "Please." Every word became a desperate plea and lost its strength and power with each passing second. "Open, please."

"It's locked, Rose," Jack told her, stopping himself from trying to hold her as she slumped down the door and covered her hands with her face.

He had to look away for a minute, the pain of seeing Rose sob was too much for even him to bear. Over the endless years that he had been immortal, he thought he would become hardened to it. He should be able to handle himself better in these situations by now. It shouldn't break him to pieces like this.

He should have been able to help her. He should be there to comfort her.

It seemed like hours before she actually stopped sobbing. Jack had actually moved to the other side of the cell and turned his head so that it was facing the other side of the wall. He didn't notice that she was staring at him through red rimmed and swollen eyes.

"You called me, Rose. Why?" Rose asked out of the blue, startling at Jack and causing him to look at her in a bemused expression.

"What?"

"Why'd you call me 'Rose'?" Rose repeated, while she gave him a hard stare, trying to look tougher than she was, but failing miserably.

She was tired and in pain, all she wanted to do was curl up and go to sleep, but she couldn't–not yet anyway. What would happen when she fell victim to it? She wasn't going to trust her cellmate yet. She looked to the side where most of the pain was stemming from and she bit her lip. Her entire sleeve was covered in dark red blood with rivulets running down her arm and tracing paths all the way down her fingers and dripping onto the floor. The flesh was being eaten away slowly and painfully, while the burning intensified. She forced herself to look away and focus on her cell mate.

He was hansom with cool blue eyes filled with concern. His jaw-line was firm and wide with a small dimple in the middle of it. He seemed to have knowledge beyond his years as he stared at her. She imagined that he would fit better in the body of an ancient man than the one he currently resided in. His hair was short cut and somehow perfect despite it being obvious that he hadn't done much to it.

Had she just been judging by his eyes, she might have trusted him straight off, but the rest of him confused her. He wasn't right and she couldn't think of any other way to describe it.

"That's your name," Jack said, in a gentle voice, knowing this was hard on her.

Jack's words broke her out of her reverie, and she listened intently.

"H-how d'you know that?" Rose asked softly, backing against the wall more a wincing as she gripped her arm in pain.

"I'm your friend, Jack, from a long time ago. We were talking, laughing about two hours ago, before you fell asleep. D'you remember?"

Rose shook her head.

"I don't… don't remember anything," Rose muttered, looking around her and swallowing hard. "How can I trust you? You might've done this to me. I… you might have done more to me."

Jack shook his head. "You know better than that Rose. Look deep. Look at me. I'm not dangerous and you know it. I'm locked in a cell same as you."

Rose didn't look convinced. She stared at him while he motioned to with his hands up and down his upper torso. He was in fact trapped in the same cell as her, but he wasn't freezing to death, he wasn't in pain and he wasn't suffering from memory loss. This had to be a trick. It couldn't be real. She needed to get out. She needed to be safe.

"You're not ill," Rose said finally.

"Drugs didn't work on me," Jack said honestly, risking an inch forward. This time Rose didn't pull back. "You're here with the Doctor. D'you remember him?"

Rose shook her head from side to side, but winced after two times and squeezed her eyes shut to stop the room from tilting. She held her hands on the side of her head and thought back. 'The Doctor,' that was a strange name, but something about it made her feel warm from the inside out. The phrase alone made her want to pick up and run to where ever this man was. If only she could remember.

"He's your best friend in the whole universe," Jack told her. _He's the man you love more than any other_ he added silently in his mind. "You travel with him."

"Travel?" Rose asked disbelievingly.

"Into time and space," Jack confirmed with a feigned gusto. He took another step forward and this time Rose actually leaned forward. She was looking at him harder, like he had told her to. Her eyes scanned him for something that wasn't visible. She didn't know what it was, but something was familiar about him. That intangible thing that she had thought was beyond wrong before felt so right now.

Some where, she saw him and two other men. One was wearing a leather jacket and beaming as the Jack in the vision shouted 'into time,' gleefully. The second was standing around like he didn't know what to say or do. Her vision spun as she felt herself turning and her own hand reach up and touch Jack's as well as the man in leather's while they all said the last part of the phrase together. They seemed excited about the time travel, like it was the most magical thing in the world to the, but something so every day at the time.

"I think," Rose muttered, reaching out her hand so that Jack could take it in his while he sat down next to her. "Possibly. I…"

Rose closed her eyes, thinking hard while she tried to see the image of the man in her mind's eye again. She liked him. He was very right. His bright blue eyes were icy, but yielded to some kind of warmth that she couldn't quite name. His smile was bright and kind, but there was still an edge to him from far too many losses in life. She traced his outline, giggling at his ears to herself and smiling.

"He's… he's got big ears," Rose said dimly, while she looked over at Jack who was beaming at her.

"That he did, right before his regeneration."

Jack used this moment of trust to reach over to Rose's arm and peer under her shirt sleeve, where blood was continuing running freely down her arm. A wince came over her as he pressed her fingers into the flesh, trying to avoid the blisters beginning to form on the edge of the growing wound.

Stripping his shirt so that he was only wearing a thin white vest, Jack began to tear it into bandage strips, wonder why he hadn't thought of it earlier. Rose watched him closely while he made short work of the fabric. Her eyes were curious as he reached over and pressed the largest section of the wound and motioned for Rose to hold it in place while he tied off the other strips.

"Regeneration," Rose muttered to herself, while she watched Jack continue his work as gingerly as he could.

She closed her eyes and tried to see again. The word was cold, clinical and petrifying, so why did she think it was so beautiful?

In her mind's eye, she saw the man in leather again. He was smiling, but she knew he was in more pain than he would let on. Everything is silent in this memory. A moment of silence, maybe, or maybe it was because at the time the last thing that Rose was focused on was what the man was saying. Her attention had been drawn to the crippling thought of losing him. The expression on his face spoke far much more than the frivolous words that slipped from his lips.

It wasn't until he said his last sentence that she could finally hear the words that he was saying. "…absolutely fantastic and you know what? So was I." With that the man burst into flames as the energy flowing from his hands and face shook the room they were standing in. She was forced to look away from the sight and looked back when a new man was standing in the other man's place.

He was younger than the other man; with wild hair and doe brown eyes that seemed to glow brighter the more he smiled. He took her hand and said worlds that made her heart melt.

"My Doctor," Rose whispered to herself, before she turned her head to look at Jack, already beginning to tie off the last of the makeshift bandages.

"All done," Jack said with a hint of triumph, while he ran his hand over the bandage. "How's it feel? Not too tight or painful?"

Rose shook her head and noticed how in fact the bandage seemed to be helping somewhat with the throbbing. She flexed her arm experimentally, and noticed that the flesh was still sore and the muscle was beginning to become affected as she noticed the limited control over her own appendage as it hung partially lip at her side.

"Fine thanks," Rose told him with a smile to hide her worry, while she leaned on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "Tell me about him. What sort of a doctor is he?"

"He's your Doctor," Jack said teasingly, but hurried to explain when he caught Rose's confused expression. "His name's the Doctor. He's a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey. He travels and picks up passengers basically."

"Like strays?" Rose asked.

"I suppose," Jack said with a shrug. "He's lonely. His planet was destroyed."

Rose nodded, thinking back hard and remembering a little chippie where the man in leather sat her down and told her the truth. She couldn't recall the exact moment that he lied to her or if he ever truly did instead of simply omitting some of the details in his life, but she still felt relief. He was opening up to her, after every other human or alien companion that he could have opened up to he had opened up to her.

"I don't know much about the Time Lords myself," Jack explained and gave Rose an apologetic look, "just the legends and tales from centuries ago. The observers of the universe. They were from Gallifrey, 'the Shining World of the Seventh System'."

"He's the last?" Rose asked.

"Yes," Jack said, watching Rose carefully for her reaction, but there wasn't one.

"We are friends?" Rose questioned in a soft voice, looking down at her finger and noticing the ring there. "We're not married or anything?"

Jack looked at the ring with a surprised expression and gently lifted her hand in his and looked at the band. Rose wasn't married–he knew that. She said it was just a few days for them since they had been together when the stars were going out. The Doctor certainly didn't work that fast, especially after everything Rose had told him before her mind went in the safe direction that her body had gone in.

"May I?" Jack asked, while he put his fingers around the golden band and looked at Rose expectantly.

She nodded, watching Jack slide the item from her finger. Part of her wanted to tell Jack no. This was something she had been waiting for to happen since she had met that man, but she couldn't, because she couldn't remember why she wanted it. Instead, she found herself holding her breath, while the ring, warmed by her body heat was slid from her finger by Jack's careful touch.

He held the item flat on his hands for a moment and just stared at it, before he turned it over and rolled it over on his palm with his finger. He couldn't find a tracking device on it, or anything that seemed suspicious. Briefly, he flirted with the idea that maybe this was a wedding ring, but when he searched the inside the ring for an inscription, there wasn't on. It was just a cold metallic thing with no love behind it. He turned it over in his hand again and traced the outside of it with his index finger before drawing a deep breath of defeat.

"I don't know," Jack said, handing her the ring back, while she slid it back into place. "Maybe it's just a ring?"

"Maybe," Rose said softly, while she moved her fingers and watched as the ring glinted in the harsh artificial light of the room. She bit her lip and moved so that her hands were shoved in the pockets of her jeans out of sight.

Rose closed her eyes tightly and forced her tears away. She was strong, that something she knew for certain. She was a survivor and a ring wasn't going to change that. She was a woman, she wore jewelry, and surely she had just slid the item on arbitrarily without giving it a second thought in the world.

"Rose," Jack said softly.

"I'm fine," she said in a partially broken voice wiping her hand across her nose and sniffing. "H-how long have we been in here?"

"Me? A few days," Jack replied thankful for the change in subject. "You've been here for 'bout four hours. The Doctor'll come though. You can believe in him."

"Do you, though?" Rose asked softly.

"More than anyone else," Jack replied, and laid a soft hand on her  
>knee. "And, so do you." He caught a glint in his eyes and smiled surely at Rose, while he winked at her. "He's probably tearing the whole planet apart just to find you. His Rose."<p>

"He seems like more than a friend," Rose said, with a note of challenge to her voice. She had seen the fleeting memories of him; every one of them had the same fleeting tone, love. She loved that man even if he didn't love her back. She would follow him to the end of the universe and back and not think twice. She would hold him forever if he would just let her.

Jack gave her a sage nod and gave her a lazy smirk. Of course she would figure it out. She was clever, cleverer than the Doctor and certainly cleverer than him. Her eyes absolutely burned with the knowledge of knowing that he was keeping something from her.

"Yeah, with you two it is more than a friendship, but it's complicated," Jack explained, rubbing his eyes and looking at Rose. There were gaps from what the Doctor hadn't told him, what he had withheld. He had only truly spoken about Rose fleetingly when he had run into that room filled with stet radiation and during the few moments they had spent together during the year that never was. They had found themselves regressing to the past where they were both happy to keep their minds off of the present. Somehow, they both seemed to default back to Rose, despite the pain it brought them both to know she was gone.

"You were separated, the Doctor won't tell me how exactly but there was a battle at Canary Warf. Does that sound familiar?" Jack asked.

Rose thought back, scrunching up her nose and closed her eyes. After a moment she shook her head.

"Maybe it's for the best," Jack said with a sober laugh.

Rose's face fell and she looked down at her shoes. "Maybe."

Finally, Jack decided she needed to know.

"He does love you, Rose," Jack told her, looking deeply into her eyes and peering into her hazel eyes. "He's afraid to tell you, but he does."

Rose looked stunned for a moment. She blinked a few times before she shook her head. "H-how d'you know?"

Jack gave her a wise grin. "He told me. When you were separated from him, he was caught up in the Year the Never Was. Terrible things happened, you don't even want to know about them, but me and him were trapped together for a while before they put me in chains, for being a 'danger'." Jake gave her a laugh and Rose giggled with him.

"You seem like a softie," Rose teased, thankful for a something slightly less tense.

"Only for some," Jack said with a grin. "Any way, he does love you, more than you could ever realize, Rose."

Rose's face fell. "But, not enough to tell me."

A small tear managed to get past her defenses and Rose wiped it away hurriedly.

Jack reached out and put a hand on her shoulder encouragingly. "Hey, that's not the Rose Tyler I know, memory or no memory. You're strong Rose. I told you that, 'you worth fighting for,' before." He took her shoulders and gave her a firm shake. "You didn't need me then, but me and the Doctor need you now."

The image of Jack filled her mind, as she closed her eyes as the memory asserted itself in her mind. She looked from the man in leather to her and smiled softly at them both. He said something about their times together being fun. But, then he sobered as he turned towards her and stared at her intently. He was saying goodbye, Rose realized and she found herself telling him that it wasn't going to turn out like that. The Doctor was going to fix it. She really did trust the man. Jack's eyes softened and he looked at Rose his words were garbled, but she got the point as her placed a chaste kiss on her lips and moved to do the same after saying something to the Doctor.

"Okay," Rose said slowly. "I remember. You… You kissed me."

"Just between friends," Jack replied with a wink, as he hugged her and helped her to lie back down, but she fought him.

"Don't wanna go to sleep," Rose protested. "Last time I lost my memories. I don't wanna… I can't…"

Jack shushed her and nodded his head. "Then you don't have to. We can talk. You wanna go through more memories?"

Rose shrugged.

"Just anything," she muttered, leaning against Jack and listening intently as he started spinning a tale about a barrage balloon, an invisible spaceship and a blonde with a nice bottom.

~o~

Jenny felt something cool pressed against her forehead, as she slowly came through again. She moved in its direction and caused the sensation to leave her. She reached up to touch the area where the item had been, but someone caught her hand instead. They squeezed and she squeezed in reply.

"Jenny," a voice said to her.

Scrunching her face in confusion, Jenny tried to remember who the voice belonged to. It was someone important. The way they said her name was comforting enough, she had heard it said that way before, when she was dying. The image of her father suddenly poured itself into her mind and she smiled. He was there. She wasn't going to leave him this time, she promised herself silently just as much as him.

"Wha…" Jenny muttered, but her voice croaked at the dryness in her throat.

"Here, drink this," her father's voice said softly, while something cool pressed under her lips and a hand went behind her head and lifted her head up to drink.

She took several deep sips, before the hands drew the container away and helped her to sit up. Finally she felt the heaviness in her eyelids leave her and she looked up to see her father staring at her. His brown eyes were filled with worry, while he continued to hold her shoulders as she steadied herself in the chair of the seat.

"What happened?" Jenny asked, rubbing her temples to try to relieve the pain stemming from the area.

"I was hoping you might be able to answer that one," the Doctor teased, but he soon turned serious. "Are you okay? You were mumbling something about not knowing who you were."

Jenny scrunched her face up and nodded. "I'm Jenny Anderson, daughter of the Time Lord the Doctor, born by progenation on Messaline, died, regenerated, travelled, met and fell in love with Jack Harkness, lost him, found Mr. Anderson, and then met my father on a planet in the forty-second century after briefly being able to construct of vortex manipulator and install it into my ship. Right?"

The Doctor beamed, "Right."

"Okay, then," Jenny said, rubbing her temples again and trying to gather her thoughts as to what had just happened. "I was Rose, again. Not literally, but I felt her. She's hurt and she's with… with Jack." There was clear relief in Jenny's voice as she allowed herself a brief smile before continuing on. "He's taking good care of her, but she can't remember–which would explain why I thought I couldn't remember."

The Doctor's eyes turned frantic.

"What is it, Jenny? What's done this to her?" the Doctor demanded, fiercely.

Jenny scrunched up her brow as she stared at her father and concentrated on trying to remember what she had seen.

"It was that stuff that they shot you with, Dad," Jenny said finally. "But it's worse, way worse with her. It's progressed so far in only four hours."

The image of Rose's deteriorating arm made its way to the front of her consciousness and she swallowed hard. She made the silent decision to withhold that bit of information from the Doctor.

"Well," the Doctor said, tugging at his hair and starting the engine again. "We're fifteen minutes away, and it's not going to progress any farther."

He picked up Jenny's bag, and pulled out the communication device and handed it to Jenny. "Call Atali, tell her we need a miracle cure, _now._"

"Consider it done," Jenny muttered as she pressed the button. "This is Jenny, requesting to contact Atali in the med-center."

"Atali here, what's wrong, Jenny?" Atali's voice crackled over the speaker, while Jenny adjusted the settings to make the audio clearer.

"We've gotten new intelligence which says that Rose has been infected with the same chemical as the Doctor, do you have any form of cure or research on it. We know that she's in bad shape."

There was a pause on the other end of the communication device, some shuffling and a slamming door.

"No, but I'll figure it out," Atali's voice said. "I've been running tests, but I'll pick up the pace. If it comes down to it, common sense medicine is the best I can do, but it helped the Doctor. Rose will make it too."

"Thanks," Jenny replied, thinking hard while she wracked her brain. "Dad's DNA has regenerative properties; you must have taken blood tests. Why don't you take that, and see if you can get it to mutate into something that resists the chemicals and formulate a cure from there? Regeneration is pretty fast it shouldn't take too long."

Jenny rushed out the explanation and took a deep breath once she was done and looked over to her father and mouthed 'will it work,' to him.

"It should," the Doctor whispered hopefully, while Jenny nodded.

"I'll try," Atali said, before she signed off and Jenny let her get back to her work.

The jeep was filled with silence until the Doctor pulled the vehicle to a stop just under fifteen minutes later and started to get out. Jenny mirrored his actions, taking Mr. Anderson in her hands and placing him on her shoulder, while she matched her father's fevered pace.

"Dad?" Jenny asked in a hushed whisper. "What's the plan?'

"Get Rose," the Doctor replied, shortly, while he stopped in front of the compound and looked around at the buildings and pointed at one of the other end of the compound. "That's where they're keeping Rose. You see how there are guards all around here, but not there and it's out in the open? That means that they want us to get in, and find her, so they can get to me."

The Doctor shifted to the side and looked at Jenny while she began to walk around the perimeter of the compound, trying to stay out of sight.

"Jenny, if anything happens, take Rose and go, alright? I'm expendable, no jumping in front of bullets. They want me, and they can have me if it means you and Rose and Jack are safe, okay?"

"Dad, I can't."

"Yes, you can," he assured her. "Trust me, I'll find a way out."

Jenny didn't say anything and began to walk along the perimeter again, while he father fell into place beside her.


	12. Chapter 11

A soft whirring filled the air, as the Doctor soniced the door causing it to open with a soft click. Jenny followed close behind, keeping her eyes peeled for anything suspicious, but like her father had said, the Saigans avoided attacking them while they approached. Although, she was sure that there were several pairs of eyes watching them as they approached.

Understanding her father was becoming increasingly difficult, Jenny realized as she followed him. Hatred directed towards these people bubbled up inside of her, yet he seemed to be placing trust in these people that they weren't going to attack him after they had taken Rose and had been keeping Jack for who knows how long. Every single one of her soldier instincts told her this was wrong, but she saw how her father's demeanor had completely changed recently. He was more hunched over as opposed to his usual light step, and the muscles in his neck and jaw were budging in a rhythm of four, which she assumed matched his hearts.

"Dad?" Jenny whispered lowly, while she picked up pace and fell into a steady step to match her father's hurried gait.

"What?" He asked with a somewhat harsh tone.

"Why do you trust them?" she asked.

He glanced back at her, seeing the look of genuine curiosity in her eyes as opposed to judgment. A look similar to pit came over his face as Jenny took him in, she could see what he was thinking, that she was ignorant, but teachable, and that's all she really needed to be for him, she supposed. Her father needed someone to put him in his place sometimes, but she needed the same from him in different ways and places.

"I don't," he stated simply before adding. "I just know their type."

"Their _type_?" Jenny asked. "Like their species?"

"No, the type that likes to watch their enemies work a bit and suffer a bit before they move in for the kill," he said. "It's like a cat toying with it prey before he kills them."

"How do you know?" Jenny asked.

"Experience."

"Will I be like that someday?"

"The Saigans?" He asked in disbelief and Jenny realized how that must have sounded to him.

"No," she clarified, "like you. I want to be able to just know like you do, father."

He gave her a small sideways smile. "Absolutely, you're my daughter after all."

His daughter, she really liked the sound of it. She had imagined him saying that to her after she had watched him say it while she was dying. It sounded so much better when he wasn't in tears. There was strength to his words now, like he was saying it because he wanted to, not because he needed to.

"Really?"

"Yes, now come on," the Doctor hurried her, down a corridor, as he read the read out on his sonic screwdriver.

"Can you tell where Rose is on that thing?" Jenny asked curiously, as she listened intently to the change in pitch.

"No, but I can track Jack Jackedy Jack on here," the Doctor said, a spring in his step returning as he neared Rose. "He's a fixed point, makes him easy to track. Didn't something strike you as weird about him? A bit scary? Wrong?"

The Doctor threw a look in her direction, while he kept running down the corridor, but Jenny shrugged and gave him a cheeky smile as they ran, trying to encourage her father's lightening behavior.

"I always found it quite… endearing," Jenny said with a giggle, while the Doctor looked like he was going to be physically ill.

"You and I, young lady, are going to have a serious talk once we get back to the TARDIS," her father threatened half-heartedly.

Jenny didn't get a chance to reply as the sonic screwdriver's pitch increased as the Doctor stopped in front of a door pointing the device at it as if to confirm that this was the right location.

Jenny knew what her father was thinking. He didn't want to deal with the heartache of her not being there, if he didn't open the door, then there wouldn't be any let down in the end. He could move on, try another, or wait for something to happen that proved she was there, but he never would. He needed to see Rose, and he knew neither of them could wait a second longer. Rose might not last and his hearts would give out from the frantic pounding against his rib cage in a few minutes.

He tensed himself, getting ready for whatever sight he might see once he finally opened the door to save Rose. He didn't care if she wasn't there. He would tear down every single door and wall in the building to find her. He would rip the planet apart with his bare hands until nothing was left if it meant she was safe. He wasn't going to lose her. Not like this, not with so much left unsaid.

Shaking his head, the Doctor soniced the lock successfully and turned the knob to step inside.

His breath hitched in his chest at the sight in front of him. He couldn't feel his feet for a minute, while he blinked several times and tried to get the scene to change. His hearts clenched more painfully than they had ever done before

That woman couldn't be his Rose. It wasn't his Rose.

She was pale, and shivering against Captain Jack Harkness, while she  
>fought to keep her eyes open. There was true fear in her eyes as she slowly turned her head in his direction and caught his eyes. They seemed to be the only thing that the drugs hadn't touched, as they pleaded with him to come closer. The fear had vanished, she trusted him, even if there was a slight questioning expression in the rest of her face.<p>

He vaguely registered Jack calling his and Jenny's names, as his daughter moved forward past his frozen form and knelt in front of both Jack and Rose. The Captain had managed to maneuver himself so that he could give Jenny a brief hug and fleeting kiss before he let her go to try to tend to Rose's arm. However, Rose pulled away; locking her eyes on the man standing in the door was in shock.

"Doctor?" Rose rasped uncertainly, while she raised an arm.

He didn't need any more prompting. He crossed the room in one bound and dropped down to Rose's level and enveloped her in his arms. She was warm, warmer than she had ever felt against his skin, but he didn't care. In his arms she was safe.

"I knew to trust you," Rose whispered softly, "I don't have to remember you. I trust you, Doctor. I need you."

"Oh, Rose," the Doctor murmured against her taking her into his arms kissing her forehead. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have let this happen."

He felt the fever burning through her as she clung to his jacket.

"It's not your fault," Rose whispered softly, while she took his hand and gave him a weak smile. "We always get through, right?"

"Yeah," the Doctor said, giving her a genuine smile and looking deep into her eyes. "You have no idea how much, Rose Tyler, no idea. We'll figure it out, I promise, and as soon as you're better there are some things I haven't done that I will."

Rose smiled, thinking in her heart that she knew what he was going to do. She wanted to hear the words now, but she knew that if she waited until she was better she would understand their full impact even more. The words she had been waiting for her whole life, were so close, and she could wait a little longer.

"Okay," Rose replied, watching as the Doctor's big brown eyes were suddenly filled with relief. He was even more handsome than she had seen in her broken memories. No, not just hansom, he was gorgeous, more than any other man had the right to be. She reached up her hand and touched his cheek, running his thumb over ever freckle, crease and blemish. They all added to his beauty, nothing was out of place, and everything was right.

"I missed you," the Doctor admitted, kneeling lower and taking her face in both of his hands. "I missed you more than you could ever imagine."

"I think it's about as much as I missed you," Rose teased, letting levity enter her voice as the Doctor giggled.

"Quite right too," he said.

Rose thought that maybe there was something hidden behind those words, something far more tragic than the Doctor was letting on, but she wouldn't entertain the thought. Not now. She was far too busy learning him again. It was like being a child again and being given the present they had been waiting for months. They imagine holding it, and all the things that they'll ever get from it, and when you finally receive it, it's a thousand times better than you ever imagined.

"You're beautiful," Rose whispered, burying her face in the side of his neck.

"You're not so bad yourself," the Doctor teased, running his hands up and down her back, but suddenly he turned serious. "Get some rest, Rose. They won't come, not for a little while longer. They'll want me to get attached to you, again, so they'll have a strong hold, should give us a few hours. Jack, Jenny and I'll think of something."

"Don't wanna sleep," Rose protested.

"Why not?" The Doctor asked, while he looked at her with concern.

"Nightmares, losing my memories…" Rose listed off.

Sorrow filled the Doctor's eyes as he looked up at Jack, who nodded silently. Jenny looked between the two men, trying to think of something to say, but she was at a loss. She watched as her father looked back down at Rose, the trace of sorrow almost completely hidden on his face, while he grinned at her.

"That's fine," he said, as he laced confidence into every word. "Because, I'm here, and as long as I am, no one and nothing are going to hurt you anymore. I promise. Now sleep, Rose."

Rose nodded slowly, the hand of sleep finally beginning to pull her under.

"Good night, Doctor."

"Sleep well, my Rose," the Doctor replied, placing a chaste kiss on her forehead as her breathing steadied and her muscles relaxed.

"What's wrong with her, Dad?" Jenny whispered, carefully extracting herself from Jack's firm grip and leaning forward to touch Rose's face.

"The chemicals in her body that's all. It's running rampant and her mind ran," he replied, looking down at Rose and smiling. "She's so clever. She hid in the strongest physic creature with walls weak enough to let her in."

He turned his attention to Jenny, as he gently lowered Rose to the ground and fought the urge to cover her shivering form with his coat.

"She's not lost," he said to his daughter. "She's in you, being held safely until it's alright for her to go back into her body. In the meantime, Jenny, you're going to have to hold her. She's got nowhere else to go."

"Okay," Jenny said without hesitation.

"What about Jenny?" Jack asked.

"She should be fine, apart from the odd headache, now that the transfer has been done, when Rose is back to herself, she'll be able to control it better and it won't be as debilitating as before," the Doctor told him, suddenly wondering why he should be explained the health of his own daughter to Captain Jack Harkness.

"Debilitating?" Jack questioned, looking at Jenny.

"It's nothing, Jack," Jenny told him; giving him a silent motion with her hand across his knee to tell him this wasn't the time. She looked over at her father. "So, what's the plan?"

"Get Rose out and cured, Atali should be near finished now," the Doctor stated. "Captain, do you still have your vortex manipulator?"

He nodded, strapping it off of his wrist and handing it to the Doctor carefully. "I tried to fix it, got a couple good jumps in, but it burned out again."

"That's 'cause you wired it up wrong," Jenny muttered, moving from Jack's side to the Doctor's and rearranging the wires, while he soniced it.

"It's not as easy as you make it out to be, I notice your time travel device broke as well," Jack retorted, recalling the readings of Jenny he had been following. They had just blinked out for no reason.

"That's because I crashed," Jenny said, while her father took over the repairs. "Plus, it was due to something completely unrelated to my manipulator. It was due to a malfunction in the thermobuffer, thank you very much."

"Oi! You two, there's a time and a place," the Doctor chastised without looking up from his work.

"Sorry," Jenny and Jack said together, as they turned their attention back towards Rose, who was sleeping peacefully.

"How will I give her memories back, Dad?" Jenny asked, reaching over and touching Rose's forehead as if the physical motion alone would allow the transfer to take place.

"I'll… act as a mediator of sorts, you two will meet up inside me, and well, exchange thoughts, memories and emotions," he explained, looking back at Jack. "Jack's capable as well."

The former time agent looked stunned for a minute. "What d'you mean, Doc?"

"I mean that with all that Time Agency and Torchwood training you're plenty able to make the transfer," the Doctor said before handing him the mended vortex manipulator back and giving him a hard stare. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir," Jack said, looking at the device in his hands and over to Rose. "You've still got a while, tell her."

"I want her to be her when I do," the Doctor whispered, looking over at Jenny and back at Jack. "You understand that, don't you?"

"Yeah."

"Tell her… tell her, if I don't make it back. I do more than anything else in all the worlds," he whispered, shouldering past Jenny for a moment and gathering Rose's limp form in his arms and held her tightly for a moment, letting his eyes track across her face for what could be the last time. He pressed a soft kiss to her lips, and breathed deeply to not let a single tear leak onto her face. "See you later."

Captain Jack stepped forward, taking Rose from his friend's proffered hands and managing to cradle her against his chest with one arm. Gently, he reached for Jenny's hand, but she was already surging forward towards her father.

"Where are you going?" Jenny demanded. "Rose needs you, you said so yourself… I need you."

"No, you don't," the Doctor told her strongly, taking his hands and grasping them to her shoulders, and turning her, so that his back was to Jack, and Jenny's anguished face was just visible to him over her father's shoulder. "Jenny, look at what you've done in a year and half. You've travelled, figured out Time Travel, and started your own life with someone." The Doctor shot a sideways glance at Jack, whose eyes were firmly locked on Jenny, as he held Rose a bit tighter, in his need to hold someone. "I never thought I'd say this, but 'stay with him, Jenny,' if I don't make it back, and that's a big 'if' by the way, stay with Captain Jack, he'll take care of you, Rose too. I trust him. He's loyal and brave when he wants to be and I know he'll be for you."

"You promised every planet," Jenny whispered brokenly, watching her father make his goodbyes.

"I know, and we will if–when I get back," the Doctor promised his daughter, while he ran his hands up and down her arms.

"Okay," Jenny whispered, reaching forward and hugging her father around the middle before pulling back and stepping into place next to Jack who still held Rose in his arms.

"Doctor," Jack said as a way of goodbye.

"Captain," he acknowledged, while he looked to two of the most important women in his life. He had just been reunited with both of them, it seemed it was a given that he was going to lose them all over again. "Take care."

"You too," Jack stated simply.

Everyone in the room took one more look at each other before Jack held his arms out for Jenny to grab onto and activated the vortex manipulator.

"Goodbye," whispered a small voice behind the Doctor.

Turning around, the Doctor saw a small red and black creature peeking out from behind Jack's discarded jacket in the corner.

"Anderson," the Doctor said, flabbergasted.

~/~

Rose Tyler awoke as she felt someone jostling her from the warm arms that had been holding her and into another. Both their arms felt too hot for some reason, despite the fact that she was freezing. Deep within her, something longed to be held in the cool arms of a Time Lord. He promised to be there for her, who was going to take the nightmares away now?

"Doctor," she mumbled as she opened her as and met a young blond girl's face leaning over hers.

"He's not here right now, but he will be," the young girl said, but it was clear to Rose that she was forcing her voice to sound confident. He was going to do something ridiculous and dangerous, just like she knew he had done before.

_Do that for me, Rose. Have a fantastic life._

"He needs me," Rose whispered, looking up at the girl with deep need to run after him and help him through this. "He's doing something stupid."

"Hush, Rose," said Jack, as he stepping into her vision, noting that the man carrying her had begun walking to a tent marked with the universal symbol for hospital. "Focus on getting better. The Doctor can take care of himself. He's gonna need you when you're well. I understand you have a lot to catch up on."

Jack's blue eyes were beginning to blur in front of her, as she looked to her side and saw one of the nurses sticking a needle into her arm. One of them yelled about a stasis chamber and trying to bring down her temperature before everything went black.

~/~

Jack had to practically drag Jenny out of the makeshift hospital, in order to get her back into the tent that Nala had told him that Jenny, Rose and the Doctor had been staying in. Ever since he had pulled her away from Rose, she refused to speak or even look at her. He was beginning to feel oddly hurt by her silence and reached over to touch her shoulder.

To his surprise, she reacted by slapping him hard across the face with an exclamation of fury.

"How could you, Jack?" Jenny seethed at him, her eyes blazing with an unbridled fury.

"Jen I…"

"Don't 'Jen,' me. How could you just leave her? She doesn't remember anything Jack, what if she needs something from us?" She demanded before her gaze finally softened and she ran her fingers down the area where she had slapped him. "She doesn't deserve to be alone, Jack. We both know what that feels like."

Jack nodded slowly, moving closer to his wife.

Could he still call her his wife? She felt like his wife, talked like his wife and smelled like his wife.

"I know, but you and I also know, Jenny that sometimes you need to take a step back and let the doctors and nurses do their jobs, let fate take over, and just hope that everything turns out right in the end."

Looking up, Jenny looked into his eyes and saw so much wisdom and knowledge hidden behind his tough exterior. He cared about so much, but he knew when to stop and when to go. He was so much like her father, that she couldn't quite bring herself to admit it.

She reached out her arms to him, and immediately he gathered her into his arms. She held on tightly, and unlike the silent sobs she let out with her father, Jenny cried properly. Tears cascaded down her face and made wet marks on Jack's shirt. Her small frame shook violently as the two strong hands of the former Time Agent tried to calm her. The sensation of being rocked back and for came over her as she felt the cot creak under their shifting weight.

Jack leaned over and kissed her forehead softly, longing to make her tears stop.

"I wish I could tell you everything would turn out right, but I can't," Jack admitted, running his hand down her back and skimming her ponytail.

"Then don't try," Jenny told him, as she sat up, wiped her eyes and sniffed to regain her composure, even though she knew she didn't need to in front of Jack. She sat with her side still leaning against Jack and her head resting on his shoulder. "They're close Jack, why wouldn't he go with her?"

Jack shrugged his shoulders and drew a deep breath. "He tries to protect her a lot. He tries to get her out of dangerous situations, but I think most of all he doesn't want her to see."

Jenny looked had him with a confused look on her face. Her father rescued whole civilizations, sometimes more than one at a time. He battled monsters, saved countless lives, and never backed away from trying to change something he knew was wrong.

"Why?" she asked after a few moments of tense silence.

"The Doctor, he's got to make some tough choices sometimes, and when he picks winners and losers it doesn't always work out for the loser," Jack told her gently.

"Yes, but Rose would still love him." Jenny knew she would, the way they looked at each other from the moment they met; there was no stopping the love she felt for him.

"He doesn't know that," Jack told her.

Suddenly realization donned on Jenny, as she nodded slowly and bowed her head slightly in defeat. "He doesn't want her to love him, even if he loves her. He doesn't want her to end up rejecting him if she gets to close and sees something he pushes away."

"Yeah."

"Like your immortality," Jenny whispered so softly that Jack almost couldn't hear it.

"My what?"

"Don't try to hide it, Jack. I know. I knew from the moment I saw you, Time Lord Instincts and all that, plus Dad solidified it for me. You never told me for the same reason that Dad doesn't let Rose see everything he does."

"I suppose," Jack said, averting her gaze.

"So…" Jenny prompted him.

"So, what?"

"Tell me."

"That I'm immortal?" Jack asked, looking more confused by the second.

"Yep," Jenny confirmed.

"You already know," he told her.

"Jack, I shouldn't have had to already know, so tell me, please. I need to know that you'll be the honest man you have been for everything else, alright. Just tell me."

Sighing, Jack took both of Jenny's hands in his, looked into her eyes and told her the truth, the whole truth. That he had been killed, Rose resurrected him, and he had been unable to die ever since. Gently, he took her hands and drew them into his lap comfortingly, his fingers gently brushed across her knuckled with a feather soft motion, and he gently leaned forward and kissed her before she could reply to what he had revealed.

Jenny took her time, getting to learn the feel of his lips again, but sadly the kiss was cut short by the muffled sound of an explosion from not too far away.

"I hope Dad and Anderson are alright," Jenny told Jack, as she leaned her forehead against Jack and tried to push the feeling of guilt welling up in her stomach. She had let the Chubchuck stay at his own request in the fear that her father might need a spare pair of hands.

Jack didn't answer, just held her tighter and kissed her again.

~/~

A wall of flames was at the Doctor's back and a barely conscious Mr. Anderson was in his hands as they ran through the forest, towards where he hoped he had parked the Jeep. He risked a look down at the small red and black creature curling in on himself in his palm.

"Hang in there, Anderson," he murmured, running one long finger down the length of his body to get him to wake up.

"Anderson, tired," he protested and shut his eyes stubbornly.

"Anderson needs to stay awake," the Doctor argued.

"Anderson sleep now," he said with finality, as he made soft snoring noises to reiterate his point.

The Doctor sighed, looked down at the creature's scorched fur and wished he had done something to stop this from happening.

They had managed to sneak through the prison without being noticed, with the help of the Doctor's perception filter and a shimmer setting he programmed on his sonic screwdriver. They breached the main security controls where the Doctor could cause an excitation in the normal electromagnetic field surrounding the area and explode the compound. However, the Doctor had wanted to give the Saigans a chance to end it and Anderson thought differently. When the Doctor turned his back he connected the two wires and set off a two minute timer to the explosion, but the wires had flared and struck the small creature.

"That was a stupid move, Anderson," the Doctor muttered, while he shook his head and made his way to the jeep, jumped in and floored it in the opposite direction to the human compound and east of the Saigans, hoping to try something stupid.

~/~

The sound of ancient engines grinding in strain made Rose stir within a chamber that appeared to be constructed out of glass. She was relieved to find that she was no longer shivering or in a great amount of pain, save for a slight ache in her head.

"Doctor," she muttered, looking around and trying to find the Time Lord, but only found another woman who seemed to be in charge.

"Hello Rose," she said pushing some buttons on the outside of the device  
>so that the glass seemed to recede into the bed. "Feeling better?"<p>

Rose nodded, "'Cept I can't really remember anything still," she said, rubbing her eyes and sitting up in bed, noting how stiff her back and joints felt.

The woman opened her mouth to reply, but a now familiar voice chipped it before she could day anything. "Only temporarily," the Doctor said, as he approached Rose's bed and took her hand, as he helped her to her feet and wrapped his arms around her waist.

Rose leaned her head against his chest and listened for a moment, but drew back when she heard two hearts. She looked up at him with a question forming on her lips, but he just winked at her and guided her hands to either side of his chest, letting her feel the beats of each one under her hands.

"Impossible," she whispered, letting her hands run down his chest and down to her sides.

"You and me both, Rose Tyler," he said in a soft voice, before turning to Atali. "I've got more than adequate medical facilities on my ship, Atali, and I'd like to get Rose's memories back as soon as possible… and before the Saigans come."

Atali looked flabbergasted, but the Doctor held up a hand and stopped her.

"Now, now, don't get mad. I gave them quite the dent in their defenses; you'll have a chance, just do me a favor and try negotiating, just a bit. Please."

"Consider it done, Doctor," Atali told him with a sly grin and looked over to Rose. "Keep him in check, okay?"

Rose just smiled and looked up at the Doctor while he led her out the hospital and into the sunrise where the most magnificent ship was standing. She strayed from the Doctor slightly, walked forward and touched the blue exterior of the box. Vibrations met her hand and she smiled at the warmth radiating there.

"The blue box," she whispered.

The Doctor grinned and reached around to her neck to gently tug the key over her head and put it in her hand. "Open it," he whispered, putting an arm on her shoulder while she pushed the key in the lock and turned, watching as the door opened and warmth overwhelmed Rose all over her, even in her mind. She reached out and touched the coral.

"Do you remember her name?" he asked, as he saw Jack and Jenny slowly coming in from out of the hallway. His arm was around Jenny's shoulder while she wiped small tears away from her eyes, and covered any signs that she had ever been upset.

_Anderson_, he thought.

"Umm, TARDIS," Rose said unsurely at first, but then she grinned, when more warmth washed over her. "Her name is Time and Relative Dimension in Space."

"Right," the Doctor said with pride, as he took Rose's hand and led her over to the Captain's chair with Jenny and Jack, who got to his feet and leaned against the console.

He sat Rose down on the console seat next to Jenny and rocked back on his heels of his feet and knelt down in front of Jenny.

"You alright?" he whispered to his daughter, gently touching her knee while she nodded. "Good," he said softly before he spoke up. "Ready then, Jenny, Rose… Jack."

Jack looked startled. "What do you need me for?"

"I don't," the Doctor said, "not really anyway, but sometimes it helps in bridging between two people with one in the middle for another person to be in there in case my brain can't take the strain, which is highly unlikely–my brain's far superior to anything your human brain could deduce, well Jenny and Rose don't really have human brains, but you get the point."

"You're pompous?" Jack tried with a grin, while he stepped up and kneeled next to the Doctor, taking Jenny's hand and giving both her and Rose a grin.

The Doctor shot him a glare, but didn't say anything else as he squeezed into the chair between Jenny and Rose and took both their hands. He gave Rose's hand a squeeze first and let her eyes come to meet his.

"Now, Rose," he said, looking at her and grinning. "What I need you to do is concentrate on following me, sort of like you'd follow a light until you meet someone like me. It'll all make sense in a minute, just close your eyes and think about me."

Rose complied, doing what he said.

When the Doctor felt her relax against him, he turned his attention to Jenny, taking her hand and drawing it tighter into his. "Alright, Jenny, your job's a bit trickier, you're going to do just what Rose did, relax and think about me, but once we're all in there you're going to need to let go of Rose's thoughts and memories. It'll be easy and I'll guide you. Try to relax now, follow me."

Jenny complied, leaning against her father's shoulder and closing her eyes.

"There now," the Doctor whispered feeling both Rose and Jenny's presence in his head and shutting down some of his other thought processes to make room for them. "Jack, take Rose's hand as well and just focus on them, if you feel like they're going astray lead them back. You might not have to do anything if all goes well, but just be ready."

"Yes, Doctor," Jack promised as he closed his eyes, and the Doctor finally followed suit.

He felt both Rose and Jenny in his mind prevalently now, as he closed off his mind to them and helped them both to erect shields around their private thoughts. Jack's thoughts were already shielded as his soft presence became known. Each of them had their own separate color in his mind, Rose's bright gold from the Bad Wolf, Jenny's dark green, and Jack's deep mauve.

"_Now Jenny,_" the Doctor thought to her. "_Just let go._"

It took a moment of Jenny concentrating and some encouragement on the Doctor's part before Rose's memory flowed from her mind through the Doctor's like a golden stream and eventually filled Rose's thoughts once more. Jenny's green spark shivered slightly, but didn't otherwise react as it drifted away slightly, but stopped as if she was unsure of herself.

"_Good Jenny,_" the Doctor said, as he let her withdraw more. "_You're done, just leave me with Rose for a minute, so I can make sure everything's in place. You can go, follow Captain Jack._"

Jack's mind flared and disappeared in the Doctor's mind and Jenny's soon followed, leaving him alone with his Rose, finally restored and glowing brighter than he imagined he could. Carefully, he reached out with his mind and touched her unresisting one. He delved in, reminding her that if there was anything she didn't want him to see that she could hide them with a door, but as he explored deeper he didn't meet any, seeing that she left everything open for him to see. Gradually, he began to open up as well, letting her see the basic emotions his was feeling and memories from his past lives and their times together, but hiding the memories of the Time War for now.

"_All done, Rose,_" he said feeling better as he gently released her mind and let it recede back to her head, as he drew back, seeing his hands had somehow made it to her temples and her hazel eyes were staring back at him.

"Hello," she whispered, as she wrapped her arms around him and held him close.

"Hello," he relied with a small laugh.

"That's sweet," Jack said from where he was standing, but Jenny elbowed him in the ribs and took him aside and out of the console room before he could protest.

"Looks like she's done the impossible," Rose said, leaning her head on the Doctor's chest and closing her eyes, while he rubbed his back. "She's gotten the Captain under control."

The Doctor sniffed and looked a bit pompous as he said, "Well, she is my daughter after all."

"And she's done in a day what you couldn't do in forever."

"Oi, hurtful things, Tyler," he teased, while he smiled at her. "It's so good to have you back."

"Quite right too," Rose teased, while she looked down at her finger and twirled the ring around once before handing it back to the Doctor and gave a forced laugh. "When I couldn't remember anything; I couldn't figure out what that meant. I thought that maybe… you and I were–anyway over now."

"Doesn't have to be," the Doctor said quietly.

Rose opened her mouth, but closed it shut with a snap as he looked into her eyes and started to speak.

"I've been so, so stupid. Not just recently, but all the way around. I shouldn't have pushed you away. I should have been pulling you closer." To illustrate his point, he wrapped his arm around her waist and threaded his fingers through hers. "I love you, Rose, so much more than I could ever express, but I'll try. I'll do domestic if that's what you want, four walls and carpets. A yard with a dog–or even cats. I'd have _cats_ for you, Rose."

Rose shook her head. "I don't care about that, Doctor. I just want to be with you. You and me, and Jack and Jenny."

"Jack?"  
>"Yes, Doctor."<p>

The Doctor faked a sigh and unlinked his arm around Rose, reaching into his pocket and pulling a long black box out of his pocket. His hands held it in front of him for a moment before he handed it to Rose for her to open.

"I–when we were separated, I thought–at first that there might be some hope of getting you back, and while I was formulating I made this. It sort of gave my hands something to do while my mind was thinking," he said with a flustered expression. "It's not much, but…"

He trailed off as Rose opened the box and gasped as she picked up the necklace from the box, draped it gingerly over her fingers and revealed the golden pendant hanging on the end of it with a carefully etched wolf on one side and a Gallifreyan word carved in the other. Rose gently traced it with her finger tip, and looked up at the Doctor.

"What does it say?"

"Love, only deeper," the Doctor said, holding out his palm flat and Rose placed the pendant on it. "This outer line that circles around everything it represents time and infinity, the stuff inside is a bit more complicated. On Gallifrey, when you loved someone more than anything else, you made a symbol about them and surrounded it with time that lasted forever, so you would love them forever."

Taking his finger and pointing to a swirl at the top left hand corner of the inside of the circle, the Doctor began to talk again.

"That means beauty, and the one next to it is care, devotion, and the last one on the bottom right means literally, _run rose_, like if you were to take the Gallifreyan word for run and lay it on top of the word for the rose plant, you would get that. That's why it's a bit more complicated than the others."

"Oh Doctor, it's beautiful, thank you," she said, hugging him tightly around his shoulder and kissing his cheek. "I love it, and I love you."

"Forever?"

"Forever," Rose said, taking the necklace and in her hands and holding it  
>out in front of her. "Clasp it for me?"<p>

"Of course," he replied as he placed it carefully over her front and brushed her hair away from her neck. The feeling of warmth from her human body radiated through him as he hooked the small metallic piece in the back and let it fall down her chest.

"There."

"Thank you," Rose said genuinely, as she leaned her head against his shoulder.

"Where do you wanna go next?" he asked.

"Dunno, somewhere quiet, just for once," she told him wistfully. "Give us all a chance to recover, eh?"

"Yeah." 


	13. Author's Note

Author's Note:

The Sequel to this story has been completed and will be uploaded today. Here is a sneak peek.

Three burns, four cuts, and one near death on the Captain's part, and the Doctor still couldn't get the TARDIS to function normally. She was almost jumpy, not wanting to go back to Earth to get Donna. Instead she was insistent that she stay floating in the exact place that she had randomly decided to exit the Time Vortex. She had completely shut down for a few minutes, only keeping the barest of the functions running while she ticked over, ignoring the multi-lingual curses her Time Lord had thrown her direction. He pouted all the time, why couldn't she?

Sighing, the Doctor slid out from under the console with his first three fingers of his right hand in his mouth. His eyes settled on Jack staring at him, as he slowly slid his fingers from his mouth and putting his injured hand in his pocket.

"Wha'd'you think's wrong with her, Doc?" Jack asked trying to make sense of the readings on the computer screen, but for some reason the TARDIS was only using Gallifreyan. He shook his head as he leaned back on the Captain's Chair while the Doctor stroked the edge of the console.

"Dunno," the Doctor muttered, looking at Jack and biting his lip. "I'd say she was reacting against you, but she says she's not, so. She's just so nervous."

Jack looked away, and the Doctor mentally kicked himself several times. Looking at Jack wasn't so bad for him since the Year that Never Was, but every now and then it would catch him off guard. It gave him the same sensation of when he was on Gallifrey, wrapped up in his bed, but thinking of the Toclafane. He remembered distinctly, staring at the walls and waiting to see them ready to jump out at any moment from under his bed. Something so terrible ready to come from something so safe and trusted.

"Jack, I—"

"Don't be," Jack said, putting his head down and giving a mirthless laugh. "Even Jenny noticed, you know? She said she knew all along, but was waiting for me to tell her. At least, that's what she told me yesterday."

Nodding the Doctor concurred. "Yeah, she would have. I didn't think she would be able to interpret it, but I guess she's even cleverer than she looks. Hmm cleverer, is that right?"

"I think so," Jack said distractedly. "She made me tell her though. Said that she didn't want me to 'lie' to her."

The Doctor gave a small half smile and pushed his way onto the captain's chair, causing Jack to relocate by leaning on the edge of the console. He crossed his arms and began to roll down his shirt sleeves after he had rolled them up to help the Doctor.

"Mhm… Do you love her, Jack?" The Doctor asked the question out of blue, surprising even himself slightly as he gave the Captain a hard stare. He wasn't there for her when she regenerated, or when she traveled, but he could be here for her now. Jack Harkness was a good man, he'd give him that, but he was still just a man, and he was prone to temptation. Jenny couldn't possibly be ready for a man of his… experience.

"What?" Jack stuttered, obviously caught off guard.

"Do you love her," he repeated, getting up from the chair and standing in front of him. Somehow, the lanky Time Lord managed to look threatening as he leaned forward towards Jack but didn't touch him. "Will you always love her? Even if you know you'll lose her?"

"Yes," Jack said instantly.

"Because, I know, Jack, how hard it is. Watching them grow old, you know that Jenny will wither and die in the end, she only gets to regenerate ten more times, and then that's it. I've left companions without looking back, and I don't want you doing that to my daughter."

The words seemed to pour from the Doctor's lips on their own accord, as he stared at Jack. He knew they sounded hypocritical, and presumptuous, but he couldn't help it. If Rose had never helped him, he might still be leaving companions, or never letting them get close. He knew from experience that a man could be made better by the right person. Rose had proven that, but it took time. Jenny would have to wheedle her way into Jack's heart like his Rose had done, and she would have to hold him back when he went too far, and she would have to push him forward when he thought that he could no longer take another step.

And, he would have to take Jenny's hand and hold it when she reached out. Not hold anything back, like he had done for too long and finally vowed to cease doing with Rose. He would have to run by her side when there was trouble and when she just wanted to feel the breeze run through her hair. He would have to be there for her when all he wanted to do was run away.

"Promise me, Jack."


End file.
